Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders
by Tilde-Heart
Summary: Chihiro Hatsuki is an ordinary Earth kid whose life is turned upside down when the Skylanders, the magical guardians of another world, land in her backyard and promptly tell her that she's a magical portal master! Now, Chihiro must help the Skylanders defeat their archenemy Kaos and restore the Core of Light that protects their world. (Canon-divergent retelling of SSA)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, and welcome to the world of Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders! Before the story starts, I should note that this ****story is _very _canon-divergent. As a whole, this is something of a reimagining of the Skylanders games, and in keeping with this later elements will diverge somewhat from canon or will be primarily based on personal headcanons. So if things don't completely match up with canon, that's why. Anyways, onto the story!**

* * *

_Hidden away in the center of the universe is a world known as the Skylands. The Skylands are a numberless archipelago of islands that float in a sea of blue sky. Magic flows through every being in its vast realms, from the plants and animals to the minerals and sheep, and adventure lied around every corner. _

_Nothing is what it seems, and every day is like a fantasy. _

_As beautiful as they seem, the Skylands are far from the utopia one may have imagined—for they are constantly under attack from all kinds of evil. After all, from Skylands, you can have access to any place in the universe—and anyone who vies for world conquest, worldwide destruction or any other widescale plan will definitely make it their first stop. _

_But thankfully, this world is not defenseless by any means._

_The portal masters, powerful beings who can control magical portals and have magical abilities far beyond anyone's imagination, have defended Skylands alongside the Skylanders—inhabitants of Skylands who have pledged their lives to protecting their home alongside the portal masters—for as long as anyone could remember. _

_Among those portal master was Master Eon, current guardian of Skylands and possibly one of the greatest portal masters of all time. For years he has dutifully defended Skylands alongside his Skylanders, and under his watchful eyes Skylands has entered an era of peace._

_But this era was soon to end, as Eon was now the last good portal master on Skylands and very weak due to his old age. Despite his best efforts, his worst fears continue to haunt him—evil will prevail over good, and Skylands will be the first to suffer the fallout._

_And much to his horror, those fears came true one day…_

§

It was a peaceful day in the Skylands—or at least, it started out like one. Children played outside, workers enjoyed their lunch breaks, and all took in the beautiful day. The sun shone bright as ever, cares were cast aside in favor of rest and reprieve, and the number of fears and worries that seemingly everyone held were as non-existent as clouds in the never-ending skies… Well, save for one ominous, smoky, dark gray cloud that lingered in the sky like an unwanted insect.

On the heralded island known as Ancient's Peak, which bustled with life despite the lackadaisical nature of the day, a man stared up at the skies from his citadel with a deepening frown and tightened hands.

This man had blue eyes, pale, wrinkled skin, a large nose and a long, snow white beard. He wore a light blue gown under a pale blue sash decorated with the symbols of each Skylandian element with a blue Viking-esque helmet with six horns, and around him resonated a faint air of awe and power, as if one was in the presence of a king or other sort of leader.

"Master Eon!" shouted a furry brown mole who wore an oversized green jacket and thick-rimmed black glasses as he ran up to the man, "Those clouds! They look strange, is something wrong?"

"Hugo," Master Eon answered as he looked down at Hugo, "When have you known dark, boiling, ominous clouds to be a good thing?"

Hugo bit his lip as he glazed over the smoky clouds, which only grew larger and smokier by the second.

"Er, that's true, Master—" Hugo looked up and leaped back with a scream, "—WHAT IN SKYLANDS IS THAT?!"

Alarmed by Hugo's shock, Master Eon whipped his head around and fixed his eyes on the skies once more. As he watched the smoky clouds expand, he noticed a dark blue light shimmer in existence before it formed into a large, holographic head!

This large head was a bright blue in color with pupil-less eyes, a hooded head with no sign of hair, and a tattooed face. Its features brimmed with a blend of malevolence and sheer pride, and all around it resided a presence of pure evil.

"Tremble before me, Eon!" Ordered the head, its voice menacing and booming, "I have come once again to destroy the Core of Light! And this time, nothing can stop me!"

"That is what you said the last thirty times, Kaos," Eon exclaimed back with a worn voice, "Or was it fifty? I lost count,"—Eon paused to clear his throat—"But either way, we have stopped you every time and will continue to do so!"

Master Eon wrapped one wrinkly hand around the metal balcony and reached out his other hand.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Kaos. You can turn back from evil, you can take a different path! It'll be much better for all of us!"

"Hmmm…"For a moment, Kaos paused. He pursed his lips in contemplation as he overlooked Master Eon's concerned figure and Hugo's trembling, terrified one before he broke out into a smirk.

"How. About. NO!" Kaos cackled once more, "I'VE WANTED THIS FOR FAR TOO LONG, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME FROM GETTING IT!"

As these words left Kaos's mouth, creatures of all kinds appeared on the island's front lawn in a heartbeat—brawny elves, stocky trolls, lanky cyclopes with sharp axes and spears… Whatever you could name, it was probably there.

Master Eon only pursed his lips as he gripped the railing of his balcony tight.

"Hugo, send for the Skylanders immediately!" Master Eon ordered with clammy hands and darting eyes.

Hugo nodded with the utmost of urgency before he raced back within the citadel's walls, slammed a bright red button on a podium and dove down an inconspicuous hole.

"Fine then! If you want to fight, Kaos, then we shall!" Master Eon glared towards Kaos, only for his serious gaze to change to a puzzled frown. "And why is your head so big? It looks ridiculous!"

§

Trapped within the thick, smoky clouds was a giant, floating castle decked out to the nines in all sorts of evil decor. Intimidating stone towers crafted with luminescent blue stone, an imposing rooftop decked in spiky thorns, windows that glared with an ominous yellow light. However, the most evil things resided not around this castle, but within. There, Kaos sat and orchestrated his grand, master plan... Well, if he wasn't busy arguing with Master Eon, that is.

"WHAT!? HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT MY GIANT FLOATING HEAD!" Kaos shouted as he violently pointed at his portal, "IT TOOK ME ALL WEEK TO PERFECT IT, YOU FOOLISH FOOL WITH NO APPRECIATION FOR FINER MAGIC! FEAR IT, FEAR IT I TELL YOU!"

As it turned out, Kaos was actually a bald and dumpy man with sickly, pale skin nothing alike the malevolent picture he painted. His eyes were cherry red with a black masklike tattoo around them, and his forehead bore teal, triangular tattoos all pointed towards a sole circle. At the time, he only wore a simple black robe and a scowl. Who could believe someone like him was the one behind all this?

"I told you it wasn't scary enough, master, but did you believe me?" said a lanky, green-skinned troll who wore tattered clothing as they swept the floors next to Kaos.

"Nobody asked you, Glumshanks." Kaos growled as he whipped his head around and glared at Glumshanks, "Now stop it. You're ruining the mood."

Glumshanks only sighed as he swept the floors once more.

Kaos, meanwhile, turned his head around to gaze back into his portal as his frown slowly faded.

"That fool Eon though he could get rid of me by banishing me to the Outlands, but he was wrong!" Kaos cackled as loud as he could, a sense of pure excitement in his voice.

"So. Very. Wrong."

§

It had been an ordinary enough day for Spyro. There were no major missions, no supervillains with apocalyptic plans of destruction, not even the usual obnoxious Chompy calls they got seemingly every single day. He and his friend Gill Grunt had been discussing what to do with their day just that afternoon, even. The two of them sat on a grassy ledge on the island's outskirts, time taken to absorb the rare peace they had for that moment. There, they watched the birds fly in the infinite skies and waves crash on the beach while boredom encapsulated their minds.

"We could go swimming," Spyro offered while he looked at Gill Grunt with a smile.

"We went swimming yesterday, Spyro," Gill Grunt said as he gave Spyro a quizzical look back.

"I don't remember doing that." Spyro's eyes lit up, "Oh wait, we did do that. How about going to the lava pits?"

"My scales always dry out when we go there."

"What about fishing?" Spyro blushed as he hung his head, shame in his golden eyes, "Oh, right, you're a fish, not the best idea. Sorry."

"It's okay, Spy." Gill Grunt just made a gentle smile and patted Spyro's back.

Hearing that, Spyro beamed and looked back up at Gill.

"Do you have any ideas?"

Gill Grunt didn't get to answer.

Right as Spyro said this, sirens blared all around like the end of the world was upon them and almost made all the color drain from their faces. It couldn't be…

"We've gotta go, now!" Spyro exclaimed as he leaped into the skies and soared off as fast as he could.

§

It took them a few minutes, but Spyro and Gill Grunt had arrived at the heart of the island, and the scenario had changed greatly. All around them, the light had faded and the sky churned with thick dark gray clouds. Monsters of all kinds sprouted out of nowhere and ravaged whatever they could, from pots and flowers to the many buildings that were stationed around the way. The whole island had been turned to a war zone.

"What happened here?!" Spyro exclaimed while his head swerved back and forth, "Those look like…"—Spyro breathed in, heaved a loud groan and moaned—"Don't tell me it's _HIM_ again."

"Looks like it, Spyro!" Gill Grunt shouted before he looked to his side, "WATCH OUT!"

Gill Grunt whipped out a water cannon filled with scalding water and blasted a large, muscular drow soldier that barreled their way with it. With a wipe of his brow and a sigh of relief, Gill Grunt turned around and watched as all around them the monsters fixed their eyes on him and Spyro.

"They're practically everywhere!"

Spyro furrowed his brow and bared his teeth. In moments, his eyes flashed from gold to a pure, resonant yellow while he bounded into the sky and stared down his foes. Once he was safely airborne, his body glowed with a powerful light that turned into a flashbang which enveloped the entire fifty-foot radius!

In that momentary confusion, Spyro grabbed Gill Grunt by Gill's backpack and flew off as fast as one could. His whole heart pounded with some mixture of adrenaline and uncertainty, but that was not to be acknowledged. He had to get to safety first. As the light he crafted faded away, Spyro saw a large, magical shield that covered the island's heart and made a fang-filled beam. With not a moment wasted, he raced inside and let go of Gill Grunt before he himself sat down and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, none of their enemies had gotten inside! It was just him, Gill Grunt and all the other Skylanders, gathered with breath bated. Towered over them was the Core of Light, a large machine with a green domelike covering that blasted a bright stream of light from its top.

_Good, the Core's safe too, _Spyro thought as he looked at the Core with a genuine smile of relief, _If Kaos destroyed it, we'd be done for._

While Gill Grunt came to his senses, Spyro flew across the crowd before he seated himself in front of Core and spread his wings.

"Skylanders!" Spyro addressed as he stood tall and firm, "We've got a code red on our hands, meaning our worst fear has come true—Kaos has come to destroy the Core, and he's brought an army."

Gasps and whispers were heard all around as Spyro twitched in place before he spoke once more.

"However, we're not just gonna sit around and let him get away with it, are we?" A smile crawled across Spyro's lips as he watched everybody raise their arms.

"NO WAY!" shouted the crowd of Skylanders.

"That's what I like to hear!" Spyro's small smile grew wider by the second, "We're not going to go down without a fight, and if Kaos thinks that this'll be a piece of cake, well…"—Spyro flared out his wings and took to the skies as his eyes glinted red—"Then he's got another thing coming!"

And with cheers and battle cries all around, the barrier went down and the Skylanders all went to battle!

Spyro took to the skies and dove among the crowds. As he swept down, he charged a bright flame within his mouth before he blasted down the villains with scorching hot bursts of fire.

"FOR SKYLANDS!" He cried, as did the Skylanders around him.

Meanwhile on the ground, the Skylanders all helmed the charge! Fire shot up from the ground while volts of lightning fell from the sky, battles cries shouted out all around, and each one resounded with the sounds of clanging metal and weapons shattering.

This meant war.

Spyro looked down and saw the Skylanders swatting down their enemies like flies. As he watched them fight their enemies off with ease, a smirk stretched across his face as confidence swelled in his heart.

"SPYRO, LOOK OUT!" shouted a raspy voice from behind him.

Spyro whipped around and saw pitch-black lightning bolts shoot a large winged beast out of the skies. Not moments later, a thin, violet and red dragoness with silver horns flew to his side with eyes trained on the cloudy skies.

"Thanks Cynder!" Spyro shouted over the chaos of battle, "That was a close one!"

"You can thank me later," Cynder spat out as she flew off, "Kaos's sending in reinforcements, and they're coming in fast! We're gonna need backup!"

"Got it!" Spyro shouted as he flew behind Cynder.

As he followed her, Spyro looked down at the other Skylanders once more while they battered away at Kaos's minions.

"Fear the fish!" Gill Grunt proclaimed as he shot out giant, anchor-sized harpoon from his gun and watched them graze down an entire platoon of trolls.

As he admired his handiwork, a large shadow imposed over him and caused him to whip around, only to see a brawny drow soldier tower over him! Before Gill Grunt could ready his cannon and fire, however, a giant pot of golden coins bonked the drow on the head and caused it to topple down.

"Got'cha covered, Gill!" Shouted an auburn and cream colored gremlin that wielded twin golden pistols in their hands as they leaped onto the fallen soldier's back.

"Good timing, Trigger Happy!" Gill gave Trigger Happy a thumbs up, "You really saved my scales!"

Trigger Happy didn't reply. Heinstead turned around and shot off a round of shiny golden coins at an oncoming flock of goblins, all while he giggled with unadulterated glee.

Gill Grunt only shrugged with a smile, then jiggled his backpack and shot into the air, propelled by a hard-pouring cascade of steaming hot water. As he clutched his harpoon gun tight, he flew off and joined a dark gray and cream colored anthropomorphic shark and a bright red monster made entirely of bubbling, red-hot magma and volcanic stone.

"Terrafin, Eruptor! How's the situation over here?"

"Not good, Gill," shouted back the monster as they flung a gigantic blog of magma at an oncoming wave of spell punks, "There's too many of these guys! The more we beat, the more show up!"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, 'Ruptor!" Exclaimed the shark with a resounding crack from their brass knuckle-covered fists, "I'm having the time of my life!"

"Easy for you to say, Terrafin!" Eruptor screamed as he felt something latch onto his head and hacked up a stream of bubbling magma.

Before anyone else could react, something completely invisible to the naked eye flew through the skies and snatched the guilty culprit—a tiny, rabid gremlin—off of Eruptor's head. That something landed on their feet in moments and stood tall with the gremlin hung from their grasp by its ear.

"Thought you could get away from me, huh?" Asked the person with a whisperlike voice as its shed its disguise.

That person was an elf with minty green skin, blank eyes and a skinny frame, dressed in brown ninja clothing and a blue braid. Clasped within their free hand was a well-loved blade that vaguely resembled the fangs of some kind of ferocious beast.

"Whirlwind, catch!" Shouted the elf as they tossed the now-fearful gremlin to the skies.

"On it, Stealth Elf!" Replied a voice akin to the sounds of whistling wind while a blue streak zipped through the air.

The streak that was countably Whirlwind slowed to a halt and revealed herself to be a blue wind dragoness with feathery wings, blue eyes and a horn that glowed in the colors of the rainbow. Now completely focused, she merely lowered her head and closed her eyes as a giant rainbow shot out of her horn!

The gremlin could only watch in multi-color horror as the rainbow enveloped it in a swirling, kaleidoscopic hurricane of color and pain before said hurricane shot the gremlin off into the distance.

"Not bad, huh?" Whirlwind remarked as she flew down to the earth and gleamed at Stealth Elf, "I've been working on that trick all week!"

"You can brag when the battle's won!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she turned around and high-tailed it towards the fray, "We've still got an entire army to beat!"

Whirlwind just shrugged and glided by Stealth Elf's side. As she soared between the individual battles, she'd only momentarily pause to shock away enemies with thunderclouds or dispel healing rainbows to allies who were in a pinch.

And above them all was Spyro, who still diligently fought and took in the sights. All around them, enemy forces fell like flies exposed to bug spray equivalent to the power of a thousand warriors, hearts all in sync as they fought for the home they loved and more.

_There's no way we could lose! _Spyro thought with a proud smile as he flew off.

§

Back inside the floating castle, Kaos supervised the battle from the safety of his portal. A frown encapsulated his fanged mouth as he watched his army fall down in massive numbers—how many was that, now? Ten thousand? Fifteen thousand? He lost count.

"Okay, so I worked it out and…We're losing," Glumshanks said as he showed Kaos a stone tablet that tallied the scores of Kaos and Eon—and sure enough, Eon's score was much higher.

_Much, _much higher.

"I can _see _that, Glumshanks!" Kaos snapped as he shot another glare at Glumshanks before he went back to brooding over the battle.

"Do you think we should start Plan B, master?" Glumshanks pucked his forehead with the frown to match.

"No, Glumshanks, I have a better idea!"

Kaos magicked up a folder of plans and grabbed one marked 'Plan Z.' As he pulled out the folder and skimmed through, his eyes widened before a wide smile stretched across his face.

"Glumshanks, release…The Hydra."

§

While the Skylanders fended off Kaos's minions, Eon gazed over them with attentive eyes from his balcony. His hands were still clammy with fear, but his heart pounded with a different kind of emotion, the nature of which was invisible to all but him.

_Oh, if only I were younger than I am now, _Eon lamented as his mouth dipped into a frown, _I loathe leaving all this work to them, but my body just isn't what it used to be, and neither is my magic._

Eon looked up from his lamentations... And just then, his heart stopped.

In the moments he had spent sulking, a giant shadow sneaked up from Kaos's fortress and eyed the Core of Light before it unveiled itself from the shadows.

This creature seemed to be one of the most evil things at the time, with four long, snake-like heads that all bore draconic fangs and beady eyes. The first head was a chromatic aqua, the second green, the third whitish and skeletal, and the final a bright red, but all were equally fear-inducing in nature. And worse yet, each one had a large beam of magic energy formed in its mouth with all of beams aimed straight towards the center of the Core!

"No, not the core!" Eon pleaded, his voice cracked and strained.

However, Eon's plea fell on uncaring ears as this hydra shot a brilliant beam of light from one of its four heads and hit the Core straight in its center!

It all happened so fast! One moment, everybody was in the heat of battle, and the next the very thing they were defending was shot down right before their eyes and blown to tiny bits!

The Skylanders stopped dead in their tracks and fixed their eyes on the Core, breaths bated and hearts refrained from beating.

Spyro himself dropped the tiny cyclops he was battering in moments, his eyes so engrossed with the scene he didn't even notice its getaway. He only stared at the Core, his expression fallen while fear crossed his face.

"NO!" Spyro screamed, his voice strained as he reached out in some vain attempt to stop the explosion.

But he failed. The Core was blown to bits, and his vision went black.

As he fell unconscious, the other Skylanders followed suit. One by one, something came over them all and caused them to fall completely unconscious as they were enveloped in cages made of raw, orange magic. These cages then shot off into the air, never to be seen again with only one witness to this awful defeat.

As he watched the Skylanders disappear into the stratosphere, Master Eon's body shuddered with pain so intense it made everything feel completely numb, his body slunk against a now-collapsed wall in his citadel. Everything around him felt blurry and unreal, and it seemed like every moment that passed caused the life to sap from his weakened body. With a resounding cough that shook every part of his body, Master Eon felt his heart sink.

It was over. The Skylanders were gone, and he knew that he was soon to follow. His fears really had come to life right in front of his eyes. But as he felt his soul leave his body, Master Eon sent out one last prayer, in some kind of vain clutch to one last string of hope.

_If I am leaving Skylands now, _Eon thought as his eyelids bobbed up and down over blurry eyes, _May someone else defend it in my place. _

§

Hugo peeked up from a rock and tried to look around, but he couldn't see a thing. The world was completely dark.

"Master Eon? Spyro? Anyone?" he whimpered, but there was no response.

Hugo went outside of hole with barely-mustered courage. His heart pounded with fear every step of the way as he struggled to navigate through the thick dark clouds. Everything around him seemed so hopeless, so lonesome. So… Evil.

"What happened?" Hugo asked out loud, but no response was said.

Hugo trembled before he ran as fast as his stubby legs could take him until he arrived inside the stone walls of the citadel.

"Be brave, Hugo. I'm sure there's an explanation for all this. Maybe it's just a bad dream?" Hugo bit his lip as he tugged on the lapel of his jacket, "But if it was a dream, then why does it feel so real?"

Hugo's train of thought was soon interrupted as he tripped over… Something. He couldn't have told what, as his glasses had fallen off and rendered him unable to see.

"What in Skylands did I just trip over?" Hugo sat back up and put his glasses back on.

He looked down and his heart sank to his feet while his breath stopped momentarily. There in front of his was a pale, feeble corpse. However, the corpse itself wasn't what scared him, surprisingly enough—it was of who the corpse was of.

It was the cold, lifeless corpse of Master Eon.

§

Meanwhile, the Skylanders were propelled through all space in these orange cages of energy. They had no idea where they were, but they definitely weren't in Skylands anymore.

Spyro opened his eyes as his head pounded and his entire body ached. He tried to flex out his paw, but found that he couldn't even move a muscle.

"We need to get out!" Spyro shouted.

"But, I can't move!" shouted another one of the Skylanders, voices noticeably higher than before.

"Neither can I!"

"Wait, are we shrinking?!"

Voices of all kinds were heard all around as the Skylanders were frozen in their very positions, with only their eyes able to move. But, they didn't pay much mind to this, as they were focused more on where they were headed—a giant blue, white, and green planet…

§

Treasure Lake had always prided itself on being an average, peaceful neighborhood in tune with nature. The large houses and their inhabitants coexisted with miles of forest and endless wildlife in an odd harmony, which made it the perfect place for retirees who ached for somewhere to settle down and enjoy the last stage of their lives in peace and calm.

Of course, nobody knew of what secret, what utterly devious plan was about to unfold in this peaceful neighborhood, all save for one…

"Chihiro, we're leaving for Mamoru's game, make sure to lock the doors behind us!" shouted a feminine voice from across one of many houses.

This voice belonged to a chubby, pale-skinned woman with dark hair, round monolid eyes with warm brown irises, and a flat, large nose. She donned fairly average attire—a t-shirt and some black leggings—and her eyes were currently fixed on the upstairs as she held the golden knob of her home's front door.

"Okay, mom!" Replied the voice of a young child as a black-haired head poked out from over the couch.

With an eager smile, the voice's owner darted down the stairs and beamed up at the woman with a look of utter innocence, her true identity revealed.

She was a child of no older than eleven or twelve with a head topped in shoulder-length, black hair that was cut in a spiky pattern near the bangs and sides. Her face had bright, brown eyes, pale peach skin and facial features very similar to her mother's, as they bore the same eye and nose shape. Her outfit was simple enough, just a white tank top and cotton candy pink shorts both with loose-hanging strings and small tears and no shoes to be seen.

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle staying home alone tonight, Chihiro?" The woman frowned, "I mean, your dad's working all night, and I'm gonna be gone for a whi—"

"Don't worry about it, Mom!" Chihiro patted her mother on the arm and slowly pushed her mother out the door, "I've got my phone, and I know who to call if there's an emergency! Just worry about having fun at the game!"

"Well, you know what to do. Don't answer the door or the phone, don't forget to turn off the oven if you cook, don't invite anyone over, don't go outside unless you absolutely have to, don't—"

"MOM, HURRY UP!" shouted a boyish voice from across the yard, "If we don't go now, I'll be late for the big game!"

"Coming, Mamoru!" Chihiro's mother shouted before she gave Chihiro another concerned glance.

Chihiro only winked and gave her mother a thumbs up, then beamed with pure joy as she watched her mother smile.

"Bye! Have fun at the game!" Chihiro swung against the door and waved back at her mother.

"Of course we will!"

And with that, Chihiro's mother got into the family car and closed the driver-side door shut.

And in accordance, Chihiro slammed their own house door shut and locked it tight. As she heard the sound of the mother's car leaving the vicinity, Chihiro bolted up the stairs and peered out the giant living room. Her eyes fixed on the sight of her mother leaving the development as her innocent beam turned to a wicked smile, and her heart leaped with excitement, so much excitement she could practically rocket to the moon from sheer adrenaline!

As her heart spun, Chihiro slammed the curtains over the window and flicked on the lights. She couldn't help but cackle from sheer glee! After all, what was about to transpire was something she had been anticipating for weeks! It was time! Time for her absolutely brilliant, absolutely flawless master plan to unfold at last!

"You've been planning this out for weeks, Chihiro. Time for…"

Chihiro dashed off to her room with cackles and giggles and other excited noises made all the way. In one swift moment she slammed her door open, ran into her closet and darted out with a stack of video games in her arms.

"THE ULTIMATE VIDEO GAME-A-THON TO BE REMEMBERED FOR YEARS TO COME!" Chihiro shouted as she raced back into the living room with incredible speed.

Chihiro slammed the stack of games onto her coffee tale then bolted into her family's kitchen. In moments she arrived with her arms so full of various snacks that she herself couldn't even be seen, then sat these snacks onto the coffee table and paused.

"Let's see, sour cream and onion chips, assorted bowl of various candies, my special twenty-fruit smoothie, and most importantly…"

Chihiro beamed as she lifted one game from atop the stack and rotated its box. It depicted a group of teenagers with colorful hairstyles and elaborate outfits that had too many belts, with a T rating box positioned in its corner.

"The entire Last Fallacy series, borrowed from the local library under my parents' noses and hidden for this very moment! Now, time to get my game on!"

Chihiro bounced in place as she looked over her treasured stack of Last Fallacy games. There was no way her mother would let her play T-rated games when she was only eleven... But, her mother wasn't here! Chihiro could do whatever she wanted! In a fit of excitement she yanked another game from the bottom of the stack, but this wasn't the wisest idea as all the games toppled down into a heap on the floor.

"Darn it," Chihiro huffed as she crossed her arms. She then grabbed the cases from the floor and put them back into a neat stack. Once her work was finished, she pressed her hands against his hips and sighed. "Okay, _NOW_ it's time to get my game on!"

Chihiro took the disc out of the topmost case and placed it in the disc slot of a sleek, black console. As the game's title screen flashed on the TV, she grabbed a controller and bounced onto the couch, her heart filled with a mix of excited and anxious clatter. It was here! The moment she had been waiting for!

With not a moment spent hesitating, she pressed a button on the controller.

§_About an hour later…_§

"Victory! Three down, twelve more to go!" Chihiro cheered before she collapsed back onto the couch and heaved a wistful sigh.

"Man, I wish I could go on huge adventures like that! Sure beats living in Snoresville anyway." Chihiro frowned as she felt her legs seemingly disappear, "I'd better walk around a bit. I can feel my legs going stiff."

Chihiro stood up, before she paused for moments and stretched out with a content yawn. She paced around the living room for a few circles, her mind ablaze with adrenaline and joy, before her eyes glazed over the curtains.

"I know mom says not to open the curtains while she's gone," Chihiro lifted the blinds, "But one little peek couldn't hurt~"

Of course, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Average houses lined in a row, average trees, blushes and all sorts of other flora, average concrete roads, average deer that occasionally galloped across the road and into the forest. Down on the road, two girls dressed in colorful autumn attire walked up the road while they laughed and talked like close friends are ought to. They owned not a care in the world, and everything around them seemed right.

_Man, it'd be nice to have a friend like that, _Chihiro's smile turned to a frown as she clasped a hand against the window's glass, _Not like anyone would wanna be mine. Unless I like, wish on a shooting star or something—_

_**CRASH!**_

All around the block, a loud crash resounded as if the world was going to explode! The two girls that were walking around the driveway scattered as groups of deer, skunks, and other wild animals fled out of the woods in a frantic hurry.

_WHAT WAS THAT?! _

Chihiro bolted away from the window, then poked her head through the curtains and looked up at the sky. The evening sky was dotted with tons of white, streaky shooting stars… Or were they?

"Wait, we weren't expecting a meteor shower today! At least, I think we weren't!"

Chihiro then heard another loud crash and fell to the floor with her ears covered. Her whole body shaken with some kind of fear, she dashed to her kitchen and flung open a sliding glass door. With not a moment of hesitation, she rushed outside to her backyard. She wasn't supposed to leave the house unless it was an emergency… But she was pretty sure strange crashing sounds counted as an emergency. Her mother would understand, right?

Her backyard wasn't much of a yard, admittedly. There wasn't much grass, just a bunch of dirt and rocks wherever you went paired against a backdrop of looming forest. But today, also in it were various craters that were about the size of her hand and as deep as a small hole.

Chihiro's eyes narrowed as she changed her view towards one of the holes in question. Brows furrowed, she walked towards the crater and peered inside it.

In the crater was a figure of a purple and gold dragon, mounted on a dark blue pedestal that was covered in crescent moons, stars, and other runic symbols.

"What are you?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the figure as she rotated it.

Chihiro then noticed the thirty-four other craters, each a blemish in her not-so-perfect backyard. As she investigated, she saw several other figures and tried to pick them up… But after twenty or so she found that they all kept spilling out of her arms. Chihiro sighed before she dropped them all in a pile. Looks like she needed to come up with a different plant. After she dropped the last remaining figures in the pile, she dashed off to the last two craters and peered inside to find a stone podium and a sleek disc.

_Now what might you be? _Chihiro pondered as she gingerly lifted the disc out of the crater, examined the title on the disc… And promptly jumped back.

"Wait, Skylanders?! But that game won't be out until tomorrow!" Chihiro made a confused pout, "And more importantly, why did it fall out of the sky?"

Chihiro shrugged it off as she ran back inside and came out moments later with a giant sack in hand. Eh, she could worry about that later. For now, she had to focus on getting all these guys insid! As she opened the sack and sat it on the dirt, Chihiro grabbed the figures and tossed them inside with not a care whatsoever. She then flung the sack across her shoulder, grabbed the podium and disc and skipped back inside.

"Well, I guess it would be okay if I played it for a few minutes," she said to herself as she flashed the disk in the evening light. Chihiro then heard the sound of a car driving down and stopped short.

_Wait a second, shouldn't Mom be home soon?_

And speak of the devil, what else could have resounded in that moment but a phone's buzz?

Chihiro gazed over at a black flip phone that rested on a cold marble island smack-dab in the center of the kitchen. As she dropped her haul on the floor, Chihiro scrambled over and flipped the phone open to find a text!

"Game just ended, driving home now!" It read in electronic light.

"FRICK!"

Chihiro grabbed her treasure and dashed to her room. She had to hide it, there was no way she'd be able to explain all this to her mother and have her mother believe her! Without a moment to waste she kicked open the door to her room, tossed everything on her bed before she looked over at the stashed bag.

"Oh second thought…" She grabbed the bag of figures, tossed the podium and disk inside the bag and shoved it under her bed, "Perfect! Now to clean up in the living room…"

§_Several house later_§

"Thank goodness, Mom didn't suspect a thing," Chihiro proclaimed as she spun through her room dressed in bright magenta fleece pajamas, "And finally, sleep! Oh my dearest sleep, how I have longed for your tender embrace!"

With a content smile, Chihiro flopped on her bed and turned off a nearby lamp. As she sneaked under bright purple comforters, she closed her eyes and fell fast asleep when…

"Wait, where am I?" shouted a voice from the unknown, "Is this one of Kaos's tricks?!"

Chihiro's eyes shot wide open and her heart pounded fast.

"What was that?!" Chihiro whispered as she clutched her blankets tight, "Who's there?!"—Chihiro looked around and winced, then dove back under her blankets and shuddered—"Ohgodohgodsomeone'sbreakingin—"

Beneath the confines of Chihiro's bed, Spyro's eyes trailed everywhere he could, but he couldn't see a thing. Everything was pitch black!

"Time to shine some light on things!" Spyro proclaimed as his figure glowed in the dark of night... And gasped.

He was piled in some kind of haphazard pile of figurines. More specifically, figurines of the other Skylanders, stuck to podiums of all kinds and all stacked on top all collected in some dark and cold nothing!

"WHAT THE HE—"

"Calm down Chi," Chihiro whispered above, though her anxiety grown so great that it was no longer a whisper, "As long as you pretend that they're not here, they're not gonna hurt you, just stop shaking and pretend to be dead."

There was a pause for a moment, but soon her voice turned to a shout.

"NOPETHAT'SNOTGONNAWORK! I'MDEADI'MDEADI'MDEADI'MDEAD—"

Spyro recoiled back with a shout as his head pounded from this person's sheer volume.

"Okay Spyro, gotta stay calm," Spyro whispered as he took a deep breath, "Whoever this person is, they're more afraid of you than anything. Just stay calm and try to reason with them."

"CALM DOWN, PLEASE! I'M NOT GONNA HURT YOU! JUST STOP SCREAMING!" Spyro shouted back.

"THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL SAY!" Chihiro shouted as she scrambled to turn her lamp back on, "NOW GET OUT HERE AND SHOW YOURSELF YOU—"

Chihiro turned on the lamp... And to her surprise, there was nobody there aside from herself. Chihiro gulped and staggered out of bed as she grabbed a nearby baseball bat, then crept around her room and checked every corner she could—but still, there was nobody to be found. She glazed over her closet door and gulped, before she gently twisted the knob and opened the door to find… Coats.

"Is anybody there?" Chihiro shouted, her voice much braver than she actually was, "Be warned, I-I have a bat!"

But there was nothing there—nothing rustled from the pile of unworn jackets, no monsters were in the closet, nothing.

"Hey. Hey. I'm over here."

Chihiro turned around and looked over at her bed. Strange, the only thing under there was her bag of Skylanders from earlier… She went over to the bed and leaned down before she peeked under its frame and at the bag.

"Okay, buddy, I give. Where are you?"

"I can't tell, all I know is that it's dark and there's a bunch of figurines!"

Chihiro frowned and narrowed her eyes before said eyes lit up.

"I think I know what you're talking about!" Chihiro fell to the floor, crawled under her bed and grabbed the sack of figurines from under her bed.

"Yep, that's the one," Spyro said as he looked straight into Chihiro's brown eyes, then watched as her hand hovered over the Skylanders, "Getting warmer, warmer, warmest, you're on fire!"

"Am I imagining things?" Chihiro asked as she picked up Spyro and stared at him with a cocked head, "Cause I'm not seeing anything."

"Oh trust me, you're not imagining things." Spyro focused on her and kept his voice as calm as possible, "I can talk to you too, y'know."

"ACK!" Chihiro bounced Spyro in and out of her grasp for a few moments, and finally clasped him in her shaking hands, "H-HOW?!"

"I'd better explain." Spyro's voice turned a bit more serious and stern, "But first, I'd like to know exactly what's going on here and why you have me and my friends captive."

"Captive?! What are you talking about, I'm not taking you guys prisoner or anything!" Chihiro pouted and pointed a finger at Spyro, "You and your buddies and your game and your weird stone pedestal thingie landed in my backyard!"

"Wait, we landed in your backyard?! And there's a game about us?!"

"And you kinda made a mess of the place while doing it, but hey, that place was a wreck anyway. So, Bobbie-o—"

"It's Spyro."

"Spyro. So, gimme the answers now," Chihiro said as she laid Spyro down on the bed and flopped down on it shortly after.

"Okay, but I'll warn you. What you're about to hear may change your knowledge of the world as we know it."

Spyro could only frowned as Chihiro laughed in his face.

"Buddy, I just had toys that shouldn't have been released until tomorrow fall into my backyard from the sky. I think I'll be good," Chihiro chuckled, her voice lowered to a whisper.

Spyro only cleared his throat.

"I came from the Skylands, a world of infinite possibility and the center of the very universe," Spyro said with just a hint of joy in his voice, "An evil force and people with less than noble intentions that control it have been out to control the Skylands for as long as it's existed, but the Skylanders... That's me, my friends, and a bunch of others and we've all been stopping them for just as long…"

Spyro heaved a broken sigh.

"But, then, we… We failed. Kaos, our archenemy, found a way to destroy the Core of Light—the very thing keeping the Darkness controlled, and…Well, I guess we were sent here. Not sure why we're toys though."

There was pure silence for a few moments before Spyro took a breath and spoke again.

"Now, I'm not entirely sure how I can talk to you either, but I'm betting it means that you're a portal master!"

Silence only resounded in the room for a few key moments.

"First off, what's that, second off, how would you know?" Chihiro asked while she looked at him like he was speaking gibberish.

"A portal master? Well, a portal master is kinda like a magician. Except they're a lot more powerful than your average magician, can control magical portals and basically every element known to the public and then some, and a lot of other stuff too."

Spyro paused for a moment and caught his breath.

"And well, what other explanation is there for us being able to talk right now? Chances are you have some kind of magic in you." Spyro's eyes then glazed over the stone portal, still visible from the opened sack, "And I think I know a way to find out for sure."

"Really?"

"Take that portal over there on top of the pile and the disc," Spyro said as he watched Chihiro follow his instruction, "We've got some work to do."

§

"Okie-dokie, Spyro, it should be set up now," Chihiro chirped, her voice lowered to a whisper.

The TV in the living room was now on, while the sleek black gaming console connected to it glowed ever so slightly. The Skylanders game had just started up, and a screen popped up and asked her to connect the portal.

Her mouth wavered into an uncertain frown as her heart pounded ever-so-slightly faster than usual, Chihiro then looked over to Spyro as if she was prompting him for guidance.

"Now's the moment of truth," was all Spyro said.

"Okay, what do I do?" Chihiro asked with a trill in her voice as she looked over at the portal, picked it up and turned it around.

"Well, uh…" Spyro trilled as Chihiro looked over at him, "I don't… Really… Know."

Chihiro made the most frustrated face she could muster, all scrunchy eyebrows and twisted frowns. She breathed in sharply as she slammed the portal onto the floor in a way quiet enough to keep from alerting anyone else.

"You're telling me that you don't even know how to do this?!" Chihiro harshly whispered, the most fake of smiles on her face.

"Well, I'm no portal master, all I remember is from what my portal master did!"

"You know what? I don't need your help, I'm sure I can figure this out myself!" Chihiro's voice raised to normal volume as she stormed over and grabbed the portal. Once she got it, Chihiro gazed straight into its center with curious eyes. As she grasped it tight, it glowed faintly and all sorts of places flooded into her mind—lush fields, volcanic wastelands, summery beaches, craggy mountains, murky swamps, and even more.

"Whoa," was all Chihiro said as her eyes glowed in all sorts of colors and her mind raced with all sorts of magic.

All was tranquil for moments, until bright lights shot out of the portal in a rainbow formation and caused Chihiro to panic and scramble back, her heartbeat so fast it felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest.

"SPYRO, WHAT DID I DO?!" Chihiro screamed between hyperventilations.

"You did it! You opened a portal! Now quick, get me on there, the Skylands—"

"Chihiro?" whispered a feminine, familiar voice from a good ways back.

Chihiro's eyes widened, the lights in them dead. As she saw her mother walk into the living room, Chihiro turned off the console, grabbed Spyro and the now deactivated portal and shoved them under a fleece blanket before she stood inconspicuously in front of the couch.

"What are you doing up this late?" Chihiro's mother put her hands on her hips.

Chihiro giggled and scratched her cheek.

"Er, well, I was just going to get myself a glass of water 'cause I was so thirsty, but then I started thinking about something and I ended up going over my thoughts and kinda lost track of the time?"

Chihiro leaned in front of where Spyro was hidden, a fake grin plastered onto her mouth.

"Well, just go back to bed, you've got a long day tomorrow." Chihiro's mother frowned and looked at Chihiro as she walked back down the hall.

"Understood, mom." Chihiro watched as the bedroom door shut, then dug the portal and Spyro out of the blankets.

"What was that?'' Spyro asked.

"That was my mother, reminding me that apparently gaming marathons are not the most appropriate thing to do late at night." Chihiro sighed as she walked back to her room, "Guess we'll have to start tomorrow."

As she approached the door to her room, Chihiro heard muffled talking from the other side and gave her door a confused stare. There shouldn't have been anyone in her room… Right? Right?

"Open the door," Spyro said with a hint of urgency in his voice.

Chihiro only looked down at him with a confused frown.

"Just do it!"

Chihiro shrugged her shoulders and opened the door. Just then, what seemed like hundreds of voices flooded into her mind, all in different tones and pitches but one singular thing expressed—confusion.

"What is this place?"

"Where are we?"

"What's going on?"

"GUYS!" Spyro shouted at the top of his lungs.

The room fell to a hush as Chihiro clutched Spyro's figurine close to her heart.

"Who are these guys, Spyro?" Chihiro asked with a whispered uncertainty.

"These are the other Skylanders." Spyro put his attention to the Skylanders and cleared his throat, "Guys, this is our new portal master, and the key to getting back to Skylands!"

"Wait, a new portal master?! Where?!" exclaimed the voices of those around.

"Oh right, you guys probably can't see me!" Chihiro ran to her bed, laid Spyro on said bed and heaved the sack upwards before she flopped it on her bed, "Be warned, this is gonna be a bit of a ride!"

Whispers of confusion turned to screams as Chihiro turned the sack upside-down and dunked all the Skylanders into a pile on her bed. She then arranged them into neat rows of eight, cleared her throat, and awkwardly waved her hand with a chuckle.

"Uh, hey there? I'm Chihiro, you guys landed in my backyard and apparently I'm magic? Heh, it's been kind of a wild night."

The voices went silent before a hoarse but friendly-sounding voice piped up.

"So you're the new portal master!" Said the voice, "Huh, a little younger than I thought you'd be, but that's not a big deal. I'm Gill Grunt."

Chihiro's eye trailed over through the row, before she took notice of a figurine that resembled a giant blue fish who wore a diver suit and picked it up.

"I guess you're Gill Grunt, right?" Chihiro tilted her head slightly.

"You bet your boots!" Gill Grunt chirped as he watched Chihiro chuckle.

"I like you, Gill." Chihiro gently pressed her finger against the top of Gill's head, then clasped the base of his figurine in her hand and held him close to her cheek.

"So, who are the rest of these…?" Chihiro examined the figures and glazed a finger over their rows, "Elves, dragons, I'm not sure what that one is…"

"Guess we've got a lot of introducing to do." Gill cleared his throat, "Don't be shy, come on and introduce yourselves!"

A cough was heard from the back of the room, but utter silence resonated throughout it otherwise.

"You know what," Chihiro said, "How about I pick one of you guys and you introduce yourself!"—Chihiro mused over the figurines, then pointed at a figure of a gray-black and cream colored shark with milky white eyes and muscular arms—"Starting with you!"

"Uh, me?" asked the figure who then watched as Chihiro nodded.

"Well then." The figure cleared their throat, "Name's Terrafin! Twenty-time champion of the boxing ring, professional lifeguard, and veteran Skylander!"

"Quite the impressive resume." Chihiro nodded her head in approval, "I like you, Terrafin."

"Glad it hear it, kiddo!" Terrafin watched Chihiro gently bump his clasped fist with her own.

"BOOM!" they both shouted as laughter resonated all around them.

"Now, who's next…" Chihiro looked over the group with a beam as the laughter died, then gently nudged a figurine of an orange and cream-colored gremlin who wielded twin golden pistols, "What about you, buddy?"

"I'm Trigger Happy!" Trigger Happy chirped, "I'm the prince of a faraway land, but I was, uh, kidnapped! Yeah! By magical clown hippos who raised me as their own and taught me the fine art of crime-fighting! We all lived in peace and harmony until our homeland was attacked, by, by, er, rabid monkey swordsmen that I single-handedly fought off!"

"REALLY?" Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands tight.

"Don't listen to him, Chihiro," Spyro interrupted with just a hint of playfulness in his voice, "Trig's got a bit of an imagination,"—Spyro rolled his eyes as both Chihiro and Trigger Happy moaned—"But, that's what we love about him."

Trigger Happy only giggled as Chihiro gently rubbed his forehead, and pointed towards a figurine of a violet dragoness attached to a giant skull pedestal.

"Now, spotlight's on you…" Chihiro trailed off and beamed, as if she was prompting the dragoness to speak.

"Cynder," said the dragoness.

"…. Anything else you'd like to add, Cynder?"

Utter silence, save for an awkward giggle that escape from Chihiro's mouth

"Don't mind her," said a windlike voice from across the row, "Cynder's not the most social dragon, but she's nice once you get to know her… I promise. Oh, and I'm Whirlwind, by the way."

"Okie dokie, Whirlwind!" Chihiro beamed and picked up a figure of a turtle on a tornado.

"That's not me, that's Warnado!" Whirlwind giggled as she watched Chihiro blush and place Warnado back on her bed, "I'm just a space up from him."

Chihiro tilted her head and lifted up the figurine of a dragoness with feathery wings, then chuckled and gently cuddled her.

"Nice to meet'cha, Whirlybird!" Chihiro then looked down at the others and made a kind smile, "What about the rest'a you guys?"

"I'm Stealth Elf!" proclaimed a whisperlike voice from the back row.

"Stump Smash!"

"Lightning Rod!"

"Bash!"

The awkward silence now completely dissolved, everybody happily introduced themselves and quipped around, the cold atmosphere turned warm and sweet like honey. It was so peaceful and happy, one couldn't help but smile so wide it could stretch out one's face—which is exactly what Chihiro did.

"Nice to meet you, everyone!" Chihiro chirped, "I'm sure we'll get along just fine!"

§_A few hours later_§

Laughter crackled like lightning throughout Chihiro's room, as all the Skylanders and Chihiro shared stories, told jokes, and bonded throughout the chilly autumn night. For a minute, the intense battles and chaos of that day melted away into a pot of warmth and security, as if all was well. However, it was getting late, and their attitudes showed it.

"That was some tale, Boomer," Chihiro yawned as she clicked her tongue, "Tell me, did you ever found out who replaced the gunpowder in your bombs with sugar?"

"Not at all!" Boomer chirped, "Though, I do have a few suspicious suspects on the mind…"

Nervous giggles were heard throughout the room and as the chatter died, Chihiro let out a long yawn.

"It's been fun talking guys, but I'm exhausted." Chihiro's voice was soft and dripped with exhaustion, "It's been a long day, and I've got school in the morning. I'm going back to sleep,"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm pretty tired myself," Spyro said before he yawned loudly, "Yeah, I'd better get to sleep."

And with that said, several others chimed in with agreement, and the voices went quiet for the last time that night.

With a smile, Chihiro gathered each and every Skylander close to her and gently nestled them under her blanket, her own self blanketed with a feeling of security and belonging she couldn't quite put her finger on in the haze of midnight. Then, she turned off her nightstand lamp and fell back asleep, visions of excitement and adventure with her new friends a'dance in her head...


	2. Chapter 2

**And here we are! Chapter two baby! I wonder what will happen here~**

** Watch Seeker: Thank you for the kind words! And yes, Chihiro is Japanese, as are her family members!**

* * *

"So, how long has she been gone again?" Cynder asked from the front row of Skylanders.

It had been several hours since Chihiro had left for school, and each of the Skylanders anxiously awaited their return from their positions on her dresser, which she had reassured would be safe to stay at since her relatives were all away. Schools on Earth seemed to last an eternity… Or maybe it just felt that way. There was no clock around to truly tell.

"About four, five hours now, maybe?" Spyro said before he heaved a tired sigh, "Listen guys, calm down. She'll be home anytime, and once she gets back we can go back to Skylands and stop Kaos."

The chatter died down for a bit upon hearing Spyro's words, before another voice piped up—Whirlwind's.

"What do you think happened to Master Eon? I didn't really see him when the Core was destroyed…" Whirlwind said before she gulped, "Do you think he's…dead?"

Spyro was struck by silence as he heard Whirlwind's words. The thought of Master Eon's body, incinerated to ashes by the sheer power of the Core's explosion, or battered under heavy wreckage from the battle made his blood turn cold with fear.

"Oh I'm sure he's alive, Whirlwind! I mean, he's been through a lot worse all these years, he could survive a little explosion, right? I mean, if we could survive it—"

"Nevermind, Spyro. Like you were saying, I'm sure he's fine, it was just…Nevermind," Whirlwind's voice faltered off as she stared out the window.

Outside, the streets of Treasure Lake were barren save for the ever-present rows of houses and forest, a few elderly people who walked their dogs or an occasional squirrel who crossed the road, and… Some kind of big, yellow machine?

Whirlwind watched intently as the big yellow machine parked itself outside of Chihiro's house with a grinding stop. In moments, somebody pushed open the door, skipped down its steps and waved goodbye as the machine drove away to its next destination—somebody with night black hair and a cheery beam…

"She's here!" Whirlwind exclaimed with utter glee as she watched Chihiro run up the flattened stone path that lead to Chihiro's house, a stone parh which was apparently called a "driveway."

"She is?" Spyro shouted as his eyes darted all around the room—but he was too far back to actually see anything.

Excited clamor bounced around the walls as all the Skylanders metaphorically pushed their way into the window's view. It was almost time! They could finally go back home! As if to amplify their excitement, the sound of a door opening reached all their ears as an ever familiar voice rang through the mostly-empty house.

"Guess who's baaaaaaaack!" shouted Chihiro, her voice peppy and upbeat.

"That's her!"

The sound of footsteps echoed through the house as the door to Chihiro's room swung open to reveal nobody else but Chihiro!

She, at the moment, was dressed in a pale gray vest with a silver zipper layered on top of a white sweater, gray-black sweatpants and lighter gray boots. A dark violet and black backpack was slung across her shoulder and a twinkle sparkled in her eyes. Her ever-trademark beam was present on her face, as if to show that she was just as eager to get to work as they were to get home.

"Who's ready to save Skylands?!" Chihiro announced, her voice eager and full of excitement as she heard cheers of joy and eagerness erupt across the room, "That's the kind of enthusiasm I like to see!"

She then tossed her backpack on her bed and gathered the Skylanders in her arms before she ran off to the living room.

"Let's go save the world!"

§_A few minutes of setup later_§

"Okie dokie, portal's set up, game's running, and everything should be good!" Chihiro chirped as she grasped the base of Spyro's figure in her palm and gently placed him on the portal.

As purple lights shone from the stone portal, Spyro flashed onto the screen and struck a pose.

"All fired up!" Spyro shouted while he took a proud stance.

And with that, he flew up and the image on the television changed to another—an image of a chain of islands broken apart from each other, the houses that topped them crumbled and debris scattered across their surroundings skies. On the largest island, there was what seemed to be a furry brown mole who wore glasses much too big for their head and a crisp green jacket with a book-filled lapel. With the way they paced around what remained of the island, one could tell they were only inches away from a nervous fit.

The sound of a crash was heard nearby, and the mole jumped at least three feet in the air before they turned around and found a deflated hot air balloon with a torn-up basket crashed nearby. The mole then sighed and rolled their eyes, their anxiety traded off for frustration.

"Who's that?" Chihiro asked, her eyes focused on the furry mole as she tilted her head.

"That's Hugo! He's alive!" Gill Grunt shouted, all manner of relief in his voice, "But what's he doing here? He almost never leaves the citadel, much less our island!"

"Hugo!" shouted a masculine-sounding voice as a person pushed through the rubble.

This person was a muscular, orange caracal-like creature with blue eyes and brown facial markings. They were dressed in a brown pilot's jacket and hat, gloves, and shoes, black pants, a red scarf, and goggles set neatly on top of the hat. They were covered in shallow scratches and clothing rips, yet still had the biggest smile on their face—whatever pain or shock they faced appeared to be minimal, as if this was routine for them.

"Wow, parking sure was easy! With all those balloons flying off, there were spaces everywhere!" exclaimed the caracal as they jumped out from the wreckage and dusted themself off.

Hugo gave them a very frustrated look as he twisted his lapel.

"Flynn, you do realize those balloons are EVACUATING, right?" Hugo asked as he frowned deeply, clasped his wrist and grimaced at the fleeing balloons.

"Ohhhh, that makes a lot more sense." Flynn's smile turned to a grimace, "So, why are they evacuating?"

"I'M NOT SURE! COULD IT BE BECAUSE THE WHOLE ISLAND'S COVERED IN TORNADOES?!" Hugo paced around the island and gnawed on his nails, "Oh, of all the places we had to land at, why here? The island's being blown to bits!"

"Now buddy, let's calm down, I'm sure it's not a TOTAL disaster—"

Hugo simply ignored Flynn and curled up into a ball on the ground. As he sat there, he fiddled with the lapel of his jacket while tears of fear and sorrow welled in his eyes.

"First, the Core of Light gets destroyed," Hugo muttered with a notable pained tone, "Then the Skylanders disappear to who-know-where and Master Eon,"—Hugo stopped himself and sniffled for mere moments before he burst into full-out sobs—"MASTER EON'S DEAD!"

Gasps were heard all around the room for moments before the Skylanders all fell silent, as some shook while others were numb from shock.

"Now guys, there's no need to panic," Whirlwind said, though the trill in her voice betrayed her true feelings, "Maybe Master Eon went into hiding or something and Hugo just thinks he's dead because he can't find him, I mean, that's always like Hugo, assuming the worst of every situation!"

Whirlwind chuckled, but it was clear to those around that her laughter came from anxiety, not glee.

"And now," Hugo croaked between tears and hard gasps, "I'm gonna die on this ransacked shell of an island all because of—"

"Because of what, Hugo?"

A familiar voice came to Hugo's attention as he turned around and was greeted by Spyro! Hugo's eyes cried tears of joy as he stumbled over and wrapped his arms around Spyro in a tight, gleeful hug.

"SPYRO! OH THANK THE ANCIENTS, YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE ALIVE YOU'RE ALIVE YOU'RE ALIVE YOU'RE—"

"Okay, Hugo, personal space there," Spyro said as he reeled back just slightly.

Hugo giggled sheepishly and stepped back, before he wiped his tear-stained glasses on his jacket and made eye contact with Spyro once more.

"So, give me the details. What's been going on while we've been gone?" Spyro asked with a furrowed brow.

"WE?! YOU MEAN THE OTHER SKYLANDERS ARE ALIVE TOO?!" Hugo's eyes widened with glee once more.

"You bet!" Spyro nodded with a slight, toothy smile, "They're hanging out on Earth with the new portal master!"

'YOU FOUND ANOTHER PORTAL MASTER?!" Hugo tackled Spyro into a joyful hug once more, "THIS IS AMAZING NEWS, SPYRO! NOW WE FINALLY STAND A CHANCE AGAINST KAOS!"—Hugo then let loose on his grip and gave Spyro a confused look—"But first off, what's Earth?"

"Long story, explain on the way. But first, how have things been over here?"

"Not good," Hugo's tone turned solemn as he turned away from Spyro and fiddled with his jacket's lapel once mor, "In the time that you've been gone, Kaos has taken over most of Skylands! He's been conquering villages and laying entire cities to waste, and evil has had a stronger hold on Skylands than ever before!"

"In just one day?" Spyro asked, surprise in his voice, "I knew Kaos would've started his conquest as soon as possible, but that's fast even for him!"

"That's the thing, Spyro," Hugo said, his voice having grown even more solemn than before.

"You haven't been gone for a day. You've been gone for six months."

§

"SIX MONTHS?!" Spyro exclaimed as his pupils turned small.

There was no way six months could've passed in the hours he was gone! Anyone probably could have guessed that the passage of time would be different here but… Six months?!

Hugo only nodded his head. The somber look in his eyes tried to act sympathetic, but it only intesified Spyro's shock and worries.

"What happened to the others?! Flynn?! Persephone?! Cali?!" Spyro looked at Hugo with frantically-moving eyes before his voice grew desolate and weak "…Eon?"

Hugo heaved an empty sigh and clasped his hands together. Whatever he had it say, it wasn't good. Then again, he did say Eon had died earlier, but, that couldn't be true… Right?

"Eon's dead, Spyro."

Spyro's expression went from panic to complete shock. His jaw hung agape as the words escaped him, his mind surely filled with all sorts of potential conclusions, potential strings of hope that Master Eon hadn't perished in some form…

"No, he can't be dead!" Spyro finally exclaimed at last, his heroic facade cracked with desperation, "Maybe he's just—"

"Whatever you're about to say, I'm afraid it isn't true," Hugo croaked, barely able to speak himself as he hung his head while tiny tears dropped onto his glasses, "I found his corpse in the aftermath of the battle. We've lost him."

Spyro went completely silent. His eyes dodged Hugo's line of sight and his whole body drooped down as he stared at the ground. The solemnity of Hugo's expression and voice only proved that Hugo wasn't lying…

Master Eon was really dead.

"I'm so sorry you had to find out this way, Spyro." Hugo gently laid a paw on Spyro's shoulder.

Spyro then shook his head and stood tall. As he flared his wings, Spyro looked back up at Hugo with determination in his eyes and gently moved Hugo's paw away.

"There's no time for me to mourn when there's a universe that needs to be saved. What about the others?" Spyro asked, a noticeable crack in his voice.

Hugo then brushed his paw against his chin before his expression fell once more.

"Cali went to investigate some kind of disturbance a week ago, and we haven't heard from her since," Hugo wrung his hand against his chin and frowned, "Persephone was called back to the fairy kingdom after the Core's destruction, and we haven't heard a word from her since then either."

"So it's just us?" Spyro's tone became grave as he dug his claws into the earth.

"That's where you're wrong." Hugo's tone went from grim to frustrated as he made a grimace, "Unfortunately, Flynn is still with us."

Flynn awkwardly waved his hand as he bent down to meet Spyro's line of sight.

"Good. Without Eon around, we're gonna need him to get us from place to place," Spyro breathed a sigh of relief, "So, what's the situation here?"

Hugo breathed in, gathered his thoughts, and spoke up once more.

"We're not entirely sure ourselves. It looks like a tornado struck the island and now everything's in complete disarray!"

Spyro took to the skies and looked out to the rest of the island, where a tornado brewed with winds that whipped wildly about. As he flapped in place, fires of determination burned in his now-red eyes.

"That's good enough for me." Spyro's gaze turned steely while his voice grew more determined, "We're launching a full-scale evacuation—get as many people out of here as you can! I'll go up ahead and see who I can find, you guys investigate the rest of the area!"

"Got it, Buddy-O!" Flynn exclaimed as he saluted Spyro.

In moments, the unspoken plan was engaged—Flynn ran off to the western half of the island, Spyro himself flew off north to investigate more and Hugo stayed in his place, his frown having deepened as he watched Spyro.

"SPYRO, WAIT—" Hugo shouted, but he didn't get to finish what he was planning to say.

The winds' howls grew much stronger, and the winds themselves grew much more violent than before. They pushed against Spyro, who was unable to resist and got flung right into a nearby tree before he slid down weakly.

"Ugh, my head," Spyro moaned as he flopped over on his back with a paw rested on his forehead, "Okay, I flew right into that one,"—Spyro then shook his head and took back to all four paws—"This time, I'm staying on the ground. It's too dangerous to fly."

"That's what I was going to say," Hugo grumbled as he crossed his arms.

However, Spyro paid no mind to Hugo and instead flew off, while Hugo heaved a sigh and ran off to meet up with Flynn.

Chihiro watched the whole thing unfold with shining eyes, her hands clasped onto the controller loosely and her heartbeat slowed as a warm, excited feeling fell over her.

"What is this feeling?" She whispered as she let the controller fall to the floor, "Is this what being home feels like?"

Meanwhile, Spyro ran around the island as he looked around for any stray citizens that needed to be evacuated.

Just then, the winds grew wilder and orbs of whipping winds shot out from nearby tornadoes!

Spyro just nearly dodged one as it grazed his wing, but the other hit him straight in the chest and threw him into a nearby tree. As he shook his head, Spyro groaned and closed his eyes, focused on the tornado with all his might. With a deep breath inwards, Spyro's eyes shot open wide and he channeled the winds of the tornado. As he did this, he unraveled the tornado with all his might!

Chihiro watched all this from the safety and comfort of her couch with sparkling eyes, and felt this warm fuzzy feeling as it grew even stronger.

"Spyro's so cool!" She barely whispered, her smile having grown wider as she bounded off of the couch, "Go get 'em Spyro! You can do it!"

Just as Spyro finished deconstructing the tornado, the winds wrapped around him and caused him to hover in midair! Then, another tornado spat out three more of these wind orbs, though unlike the others they landed flat on the ground and stayed static.

Well, for a few moments anyway.

Spyro fell to the ground as his eyes returned to gold, before he tilted his head in confusion.

"So, is something gonna happen or…" Spyro asked with a tilt of his head.

The orbs then exploded before they reformed into monsters of wind with blank eyes, square jaws that had too many teeth and bulky, spike-covered bodies.

One of them immediately raced towards Spyro and slammed into his scaly body, which caused him to tumble backwards and fall on his back.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have said anything." Spyro staggered up before he regained his strength and turned to face Chihiro, "Chihiro, I don't know if you can hear me, but I could really use some backup right about now! Just saying!"

He then narrowly dodged the other two monsters as they ganged up on him while the winds around them whipped even more violently than before.

"Roger that, Spyro!" Chihiro shouted with an eager salute.

In moments Chihiro was on the case as her fingers danced between the other Skylanders, grabbed the first character she could lay hands upon and slammed their figurine onto the portal. She was admittedly in a bit of a rush—hopefully the character selected could be of use…

In mere moments, the image of Gill Grunt flashed upon the screen along with a splash of clean ocean water.

"Fear the fish!" Gill proclaimed as he cocked his harpoon cannon.

Then, with a flash of radiant blue light, he disappeared from the screen before he reappeared next to Spyro.

"Man, am I glad to see you, Gill," Spyro said with a toothy, relieved smile.

"Likewise," Gill agreed as he beamed back at Spyro.

They then focused their attention on the monsters before them. As they watched their foes, Gill cocked his harpoon gun once more and Spyro flared out his wings. For those five minutes or so, there was an peaceful standstill between them and their foes...

Then, all manner of chaos broke loose!

As the monsters blew gusts and threw punches, Gill doused them with heavy streams of scorching water from his cannon.

Weight increased from this new burden, the monsters couldn't help but collapse to the ground. They struggled as much as they could to get up, but they had grown so heavy that their bodies felt more like hundred ton weights against the forces of gravity.

"Your turn now, Spy!" Gill shouted as he drew back with a nod.

Spyro only nodded back in response, then his eyes flashed a deep cobalt in color as he stepped forward. Spyro took a breath in, screwed his eyes shut and became utterly focus on these monsters—and the water that weighed them down.

This caused the water to take to the skies in several powerful, unyielding streams with the monsters they once carried freed of their heavy burden!

As the monsters got up and tried to figure out what exactly was going on, Spyro combined the streams into one big orb of water and dropped it back down on the monsters into one big waterfall!

The monsters could only scream in garbled horror as the water assaulted their bodies, before the pain and tension grew too heavy for them to bear—so they merely vanished in midair!

With a smile, Spyro and Gill high-fived each other only to hear what sounded like cheers of delight! They turned around to find that hidden behind what looked like a ruined village were several furry, bear-like mabu who wore all sorts of plain-looking clothing.

"The Skylanders have returned to save us!" cheered an adult mabu who wore a simple tan shirt and trousers as they withdrew from the wreckage, "Three cheers for our heroes!"

"HIP HIP—"

"There's no time for celebration! We're arranging a full-scale evacuation of the island, you have to go before it's too late!" Spyro shouted as he glided over and pointed a paw towards Gill, "Gill Grunt here will take you guys back to the docks. There should be emergency balloons waiting to take passengers."

The mabu opened his mouth to speak once more, but Spyro gently nudged him with his horns.

"Go, go, go!"

The small crowd of mabu were ushered along in a quickly-moving line as Gill looked towards Spyro and opened his mouth.

"The docks should be at the beginning of the island, just keep following the path." As Spyro spoke, he pointed a clawed toe at a stone path that was mostly intact the fact that several stones were pulled out, "Keep an eye on them and make sure nobody gets hurt to the best of your ability. I'm gonna go up ahead and see if I can find the source of all this wind."

Gill nodded with silent understanding before he ran back and led the very back of the line, while Spyro, meanwhile, continued his journey up head. As they explored, the speed of their runs conveyed a sense of urgency—which was understandable, given hat they were standing in the heart of a natural disaster.

The other Skylanders impatiently watched all this unfold with Chihiro, who watched with excitement and a pounding heart.

"Chihiro?" said someone from the crowd of Skylanders, "Chihiro? Chihiro? Earth to Chihiro!"

Chihiro shook her head as she looked down and tried to figure out who was calling her.

"Chihiro, are you alright?" asked the voice, who Chihiro immediately recognized as Whirlwind.

"You bet'cha!" Chihiro chirped as she picked up Whirlwind until they were both face to face.

Chihiro then flopped back on the couch, her back slouched as she rotated Whirlwind in her hand.

"SOOOOO, you guys wanna hear a funny thing that happened to me at school today?" Chihiro asked, a sparkle in her eyes.

"I guess so…" Whirlwind said.

Murmurs of agreement rose throughout the crowd, while Chihiro then bounced back up with glee in her expression.

"Okay, get this!" Chihiro cleared her throat and spoke so rapidly it was almost impossible to hear her, "So, I'm walking down the hall, and this girl drops a banana peel on the floor…."

§

"Weird, right? You should've sent the look on the janitor's face when he went to put his broom back! It was like he saw a ghost or something!" Chihiro exclaimed between helpless bouts of laughter.

"Did you get a word she said?" whispered one member of the crowd to another.

"Not at all," said that other member.

Chihiro fell back and continued to laugh her head off, while the others cautiously laughed along with her. As she wiped a tear of joy from her face, Chihiro stood straight once more and smiled a genuine smile of happiness, one so infectious it made genuine joy break out among the others too.

"Guys, have I told you yet that you're the best friends a kid could have?"

The awkward mumbles dissipated as Chihiro's tone turned wistful and she continued to ramble.

"I seriously mean it guys." Chihiro hung her head a little bit, almost as if she was reflecting on something not quite as happy as her disposition, then giggled and clutched the fabric of her pants, "I know we've really only known each other for like, a day, but something in me kinda feels like we were just fated to be friends! Like a written in the stars kinda deal, y'know?"

Chihiro then felt her cheeks flush and made an awkward cough.

"That probably sounds weird, I know, but thanks for being my friends, even if we've only really known each other for like. A day."

"Of course, Chihiro! You're our portal master, after all!" Whirlwind smiled to herself.

Chihiro's eyes sparkled for moments, before she gained a sappy expression as tears of happiness welled and fell down her face, like she was so overwhelmed with liquid joy that her whole body couldn't contain it anymore! Then with a wide smile, Chihiro wiped the tears from her eyes and focused back on the TV.

There, Spyro looked over the face of a grassy cliff, focused on a large twister about five times the size of the ones they had faced before. Flanked all around it was much smaller twisters, each of which seemed to act as something of a guard to the largest one.

"This looks like it's gonna be good!" Chihiro's eyes sparkled, "I'd better get snacks!"

Then without a word, she dashed off to the kitchen in a frantic yet joyful haste.

Meanwhile, the other Skylanders watched the scene as it unfolded before them, all hearts stopped and breaths bated in anticipation.

It was all so slow, like the climatic scene of an intense action movie—Spyro flexed out his wings and watched the tornado with cold eyes, his movement slowed to a few footsteps. Then, he raced forward, jumped down and dashed straight into the heart of the tornado!

"WHAT!?" shouted a chorus of Skylanders.

Chihiro dashed back into the living room immediately, a half-eaten stick of taffy in her mouth and a bowl of popcorn in her arms.

"What'd I miss?" Chihiro asked over the sound of the Skylanders' confused jabbering.

"He—just—I—HE RAN STRAIGHT INTO THE TORNADO!" shouted one voice.

Chihiro looked up and saw Spyro, who was struggling to fight against the howling winds in a blue stone room. She then dropped the bowl of popcorn she held in awe, before she realized her mistake and looked down at her feet with a scrunched expression and a frown.

"Well, that was a waste of perfectly good popcorn." Chihiro cleared her throat, "Anyway,"—Chihiro's eyes widened as she grabbed her hair and pointed at the TV—"WHAT THE HECK'S HE DOING?! HE'LL GET HIMSELF KILLED!"

"Now I doubt that," said another voice from the back, a raspy, feminine one identified as Cynder's, "In all the years I've known Spyro, if there's one thing I've learned…"

Spyro's eyes then turned completely aqua blue as he charged forward and crashed through an invisible barrier in the very center of the room.

"… Is that he always has a plan."

Cheers and hollers were heard all around as Spyro investigated the center of the room, where a shimmering sky blue orb was hovering about.

"Gotcha!" Spyro exclaimed.

He then clasped the orb in his front paws and dug his claws into its soft exterior. With a sharp crack, the sphere split open and its color faded while the winds around him dissipated into nothingness. Then, with a bright blue glow, the room disappeared!

Spyro found himself back at the island, the large tornado having disappeared along with the smaller ones around it.

"Is it safe to come out now?" asked a young-sounding voice.

Spyro swerved his head around to see where it was coming from. His eyes then focused on a reddish-orange stone platform with a large stone wall, where a tiny, colorful propeller hat peeked just above said wall.

"The tornado's gone now, you can stop hiding!" Spyro shouted with a paw cupped around his mouth.

A tiny mabu boy who wore faded blue overalls timidly walked out and examined the area, before his eyes widened with glee.

"He's right! Mom, dad, you can come out now!"

Then, a mabu man dressed in fancy frilled shirts, frilled pants and a royal purple cape stepped out alongside a mabu woman wearing a purple and white frilly gown. Chuckles of joy and relief escaped them as they noticed that the skies were clear once more and the sun was happily beating down on their heads again. The mabu man then raced towards Spyro and vigorously shook his paw, a relieved grin on his face.

"Oh thank you, thank you, kind dragon! We thought we'd be goners!" exclaimed the mabu man.

"No problem, your highness, it's all in a day's work for me," Spyro said as he awkwardly smiled and took his paw back, then watched the king withdraw his own hand, "Do you have any idea how these tornadoes showed up? Because they definitely aren't natural ones."

"Kaos came and approached us about aligning with his empire, and when we refused to ally ourselves with him, he brought out this strange, glowing object and created a bunch of tornadoes, ones much bigger than what we've ever see!"

Spyro's eyes widened before he furrowed his brow.

"Can you describe the object in question?"

"It was shaped like either a very round oval or a very tall circle, was about yey big." The mabu king made as many hand gestures as he could, "It was a bright blue in color, and it had a bunch of winds circling around it! And it had to be a very powerful object as well—I could feel the power of the Air Element resonating from it!"

Spyro's facial expression turned grim.

"That's gotta be it! And if Kaos has it…" Spyro whispered at a volume so low only he could hear.

"Anyway, aside from that," said the mabu king as he watched Spyro jolt back up to face him, "Is there anything I can do to reward you? I feel bad leaving you empty-handed after all you've done for us."

"Tell you what." A confident smile crossed Spyro's face for the first time since he arrived, "If you want to do anything for us,"—Spyro then turned around and noticed three awfully familiar figures out the corner of his eye before his vision returned to the king—"Spread the word—the Skylanders are back in business!"

Those three figures then came into view as Flynn, Hugo, and Gill Grunt joined Spyro.

"Please excuse me, I have other business to attend to." Spyro faced Gill, "So, what are the details?"

"The evacuation has been successful," Hugo said before Gill Grunt could, "Everyone has been evacuated and is being taken to shelter right as we speak."

"Good," Spyro said as he took to the skies, "Now, we need to get back home. I have a few things that need to be discussed…Privately, if you get what I mean."

"Understood, Spyro!" Flynn shouted, "Thanks to some of those rescue guys, my balloon's in tip-top shape, so it'll just be clear skies and smooth flying from now on!"

"Now I highly doubt that," Hugo whispered under his breath.

"Anywho, back to Ancient's Peak we go!" Flynn shouted, "Or what's left of it anyway."

"What was that?" Spyro asked.

However, Spyro never got his reply, as everybody just went back to Flynn's balloon and set course for home…

§_One very bumpy balloon ride later…_§

"Home sweet home!" Flynn shouted as he docked the balloon on the island, hopped over its side and stretched out.

Spyro flew up to get a view of the island—and his jaw dropped.

There was wreckage everywhere, from piles of rubble to singed grass to destroyed books and other things, all looking hopeless and despondent. Overgrown vines and thorns that radiated with evil energy popped up in large patches, and everything looked like it was in chaos—which was maybe a little too appropriate for the situation at hand.

"THIS IS ANCIENT'S PEAK?!" Spyro shouted, his pupils dilated from shock.

"I'm afraid so, Spyro," Hugo said as he the balloon and joined Spyro, "It was left in quite a mess after your last battle. We've done the best we can to restore it, but it's been a bigger task than we anticipated."

Gill Grunt, who had amazingly enough fallen asleep on the balloon ride there, woke up and stumbled out of the basket.

"Hey, what's everyone goin' on about—HOLY SMOKES!" Gill Grunt exclaimed before his face fell, "This is what happened while we were gone?"

Hugo nodded with a frown as he faced Gill Grunt.

Gill's frown lasted for a couple minutes more, then turned into a determined smile as he grabbed his harpoon cannon and cocked it.

"Well, before we do anything else, we've got some repairing to do!"

Gill then rushed off near the brambles and shot them with harpoons, which cut them in half and caused them to wither away into the ground, never to be seen again—hopefully.

"Gill does have a point," Hugo said, "Before we can do anything, we need to clean things up here so we can have a decent base of operations."

"Just leave that up to us, Hugo, We'll have this place cleaned in no time!" Spyro exclaimed as he flew off and set the brambles on fire.

Chihiro observed the scene before her, before she smiled a maybe too eager smile and grabbed two of the Skylanders by the bases of their figurines.

"Y'know guys, they're gonna need a lot of help," Chihiro said with a wink, "Ready to go home?"

A chorus of cheers and agreement resonated among the crowd, while Chihiro only gave off a determined smile.

"Operation repair the ruins is go!"

And with that said, she slammed Skylanders two-by-two onto the portal. As she did this, the portal slowly expanded to accommodate the growing amount of figures on its surface.

Meanwhile more Skylanders appeared on the screen, and each one immediately went to help clean up the island in any way they could. Some destroyed unwanted weeds and rubble, others magically repaired broken objects, and some simply rearranged and collected objects that had been strewn about. Many started conversations with each other or directed each other on what to do, which made a cozy atmosphere fall over everyone.

Chihiro smiled as she placed the last Skylander necessary on the portal and went back to the couch to watch. Everything felt so peaceful after that hectic first mission back home, and time seemingly slowed to a crawl… That is, until the lights around her started flickering and flashing.

"That doesn't sound good," Chihiro remarked to herself, "I hope it isn't a power outage."

Unfortunately Chihiro tempted fate and lost, because shortly after the TV zapped off, as did the lights and everything else around her! Chihiro's expression turned panicked as she frantically pressed the power button on a nearby remote control.

"Turn on, turn on, please turn on!" Chihiro begged as her eyes dashed fifty ways to Sunday around the living room.

But alas, it was to no avail—the TV still remained blank.

"NONONONONONONONONONONONONO!" Chihiro dashed off and flickered the light switches in vain hopes that it would give the power a jumpstart, but nothing worked, "NONONONO IT CAN'T GO OUT NOW, THEY STILL NEED ME!"

In those few frantic moments, Chihiro tried everything she could think of to revive her electricity. However, no matter how many times she flicked switches, toyed with machines and panicked, it was no use—the electricity was still dead and gone, as was her link to the Skylandersz

"I need to find some way to get back in touch with them, but HOW!?" Chihiro paced in a circle while she tugged on her hair, "The power's out and who knows when it's gonna come back on, but I don't have any other way to keep in touch with them! What am I—"

Chihiro turned around and noticed the portal, which still glowed in all sorts of colors arranged in a rainbow-esque array. Just then, the portal glowed even more than it usually did, which was saying something! It was so colorful, so bright, so magical it almost drew her in...

As she noted the bright colors, Chihiro's eyes sparkled and her expression turned as bright as the rainbow of lights before her.

"I know what I'll do—I'll just send myself there!" Chihiro shouted as she grabbed the portal off of her console and dropped it on the floor.

With a gulp, Chihiro grabbed the stone sides of the portal as hard as she could. As she envisioned the island's ruins, Chihiro screwed her eyes shut and focused—on the island, on her friends, on Skylands, anything that could bring her to them.

_Please let this work…_

She then opened her eyes and smiled widely—because there, on the portal's surface, was the Skylanders' island!

"Skylands here I come!" Chihiro jumped straight on top of the portal—and her feet were promptly sucked in!

"Wait, what!?" Chihiro exclaimed as the rest of her body slowly followed, "Guys, someone, HELLLLLLPPPPPP—"

And just like that, she was gone. The portal stopped glowing and returned to its normal size. Now, it laid innocuously on the floor while everything went silent all around the room in an almost eerie way.

§

Meanwhile back in Skylands, Spyro and Gill observed the other Skylanders as they finished their work. With the other Skylanders' help, work had gone along fairly smooth—and while it wasn't perfect, almost everything necessary for their jobs had been returned to a state of usability.

"Now _THAT'S _much better. Now we have an actual base to work with," Spyro said as he smelled the fresh air and smiled.

"And since that's been dealt with," Hugo said as he popped up behind Spyro, "What were those important issues you had to discuss with me?"

"Hugo!" Spyro shot Hugo a dark look, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," Hugo apologized as he stepped back and adjusted his glasses.

Spyro then took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. After a few moments spent pondering ominously, Spyro cleared his throat.

"Okay, so, I talked with the guy who ruled over the island we saved earlier."

"And?"

Spyro then recounted his earlier conversation with the mabu king to Hugo before he took a breath.

"And judging from what he said, I'm fairly certain that Kaos had the Eternal Air Source."

"WHAT?!" Hugo jumped back slightly before he stood straight and adjusted his jacket, "Well, that would explain those strange tornadoes."

"And if he has it, it's very likely that he has the other components of the Core as well," Spyro said, "The only question is, where is he hiding them?"

Hugo looked over to the side of the island, where a large, mechanical telescope was set up.

"Well, we could use the Far-Viewer, given that it can tap into the location of basically any magical artifact or power source in existence, but…" Hugo trailed off and made an awkward frown.

"But what?" Spyro tilted his head.

"Cali's the only one who knows how to use it, and well, she's been gone for a week."

"Of course." Spyro sighed as he let his head slump for moments before he stood tall once more, "Then we'll just have to find her. Do you know where she went last?"

"If I recall correctly, she went to Perilous Pastures to investigate a strange magical disturbance last I heard of her."

Spyro took to the skies and looked over to where Flynn gushed over his newly-repaired balloon. A smile broke out across his face and reveal his sharp, white fangs—time for some action!

"Then off to Perilous Pastures we go! Gill, you're coming with me, right?" Spyro announced as he turned back and watched Gill nod his scaly head.

"I'll make arrangements with Flynn about getting us there." Spyro turned to face Hugo.

"And I'll see if I can get the Far-Viewer working by myself. Good luck!"

Spyro and Gill dashed off to talk with Flynn, and in mere moments afterwards, boarded Flynn's balloon before they sailed off.

Hugo then heaved a sigh and adjusted his lapel, his expression gone from a reassuring smile to a solemn frown.

"Oh Master Eon, I wish you were still here. Maybe you could help me make some sense of this." Hugo paused and bit his lip, "I'm glad to have the Skylanders back, but without you I feel like we'll never be able to defeat Kaos! If only another portal master was here to guide us…"

Hugo then looked up to the skies and noticed a bright white blur that shot down from the stratosphere with a path towards the island!

"WHAT IN SKYLANDS IS THAT?!"

Hugo dashed out of the way while the object plowed into the grass with a blinding flash of light. When the light cleared, he peered out and noticed that a medium-sized crater was dug into the ground where he was once stood.

"Glad I got out in time." Hugo watched as somebody staggered up from the crater with a moan and jumped once more, "W-w-w-whoever you are, stay back! I know basic magic and I'm not afraid to use it!"

"Where am I?" asked a childlike voice.

Just then, a human child with pale skin, brown monolid eyes, a large, flat nose, and black hair with spiky bangs that was dressed in all white, gray and black clothes stumbled out of the crater and passed out onto the grass.

Hugo panted heavily, but when he noticed that the person was of no harm to him, he bent down and turned them over. Thankfully, he found that they were fast asleep.

"Hugo, is everything alright? I heard some kind of—" Whirlwind asked as she flew over to meet Hugo before she took notice of the unconscious person beside him, "CHIHIRO!"

"You know this person?" Hugo asked as he looked up at Whirlwind.

"She's the portal master we found on the other place, Earth." Whirlwind fixed her eyes on Chihiro, "But what's she doing here?"

"Whatever she is, she just fell out of the sky!"

"Fell out of the sky?" Whirlwind shook her head and turned serious, "You can give me the explanation later. For now, we need to make sure she's not seriously hurt. Is the infirmary still intact?"

"Thankfully, yes."

"Then come on, help me get her set up there."

§

Chihiro groaned a tired groan as she looked up, her vision blurred beyond belief.

"I think she's waking up!" shouted a nasally, masculine voice as what looked like a brown mole pressed a paw against her forehead, "Are you alright, Chihiro?"

Chihiro's vision finally cleared and she recognized him as Hugo! She breathed a gentle sigh as she rubbed her eyes.

"I dunno? My head kinda hurts, and I can barely stay awake, but I made it to Skylands so that's good," Chihiro mumbled when she was hit by a piercing headache.

As she let out a yelp, Chihiro hung her head in her hands and moaned weakly.

"What's wrong?!" Hugo exclaimed as he jumped back himself, "Evil curse?! Forbidden magic?! A fever?"

Chihiro looked back at Hugo with a sharp pain in the right side of her head and tiny tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"Headache."

Hugo regained his composure and nodded.

"I'm sure we have something for that. Now stay here while I go check our medicine cabinet." And with that said, Hugo raced off.

Hours seemed to pass as she waited, and during that time Chihiro looked around and gained an idea of her surroundings.

She was sitting on a fluffy, white mattress with pastel peach and red plaid blankets and pillows with peach-colored pillowcases. The floors were made of white tile, and the walls were peach in color with diamond-patterned wallpaper. To her side was a brown cabinet with a white sheet of paper taped onto it, and to the right was another cabinet with all sorts of potions and medicine bottles arranged neatly. For an infirmary, it sure seemed fairly warm and friendly.

"I'm finally here…" Chihiro whispered with a serious grasp of her situation, "I'M HERE!"

And with that, she tossed the covers off of her person, swung out of bed… And found herself face-to-face with a very surprised and slightly irritated Whirlwind.

"Chihiro!" Whirlwind shouted as she watched Chihiro stumble back out of surprise.

"Whirlwind! What are you doing here?" Chihiro asked.

Whirlwind pressed a flash of pinkish-purple liquid into Chihiro's open palm.

"It's a potion for relieving headaches. Hugo asked me to give it to you since some other business came up."

"Ooooh." Chihiro made an understanding nod.

Whirlwind cleared her throat and gave Chihiro a dark stare.

"Now, how in the name of the Ancient Elementals did you get here?!"

Chihiro whimpered and skittered back on all fours, fear on her face. As she looked up and expected an even more furious Whirlwind, her face fell when she found that Whirlwind's expression had softened instead.

"I'm sorry for raising my voice at you." Whirlwind sat next to Chihiro and wrapped a feathery wing around Chihiro's shoulders, "But I am very concerned about how you got here. So, can you explain how?"

Chihiro gulped and cleared her throat, before she gave Whirlwind a nervous look once more.

"Well, there was a power outage where I was at, and the TV went out and I couldn't see you guys anymore, and I got really worried so I used to portal to send myself here and check on you guys!"

Whirlwind's jaw dropped and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"Did I do a bad?" Chihiro curled into a ball and looked away from Whirlwind once more.

"CHIHIRO!" Whirlwind grasped Chihiro's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye, "PORTAL MASTERS SHOULD NEVER USE PORTALS ON THEMSELVES, IT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DISRUPTIONS IN THE MAGICAL CONTINUITY! IT'S A MIRACLE YOU MADE IT HERE IN ONE PIECE!"

Chihiro winced, scuttled back anxiously and avoided Whirlwind's gaze, her head burrowed into her knees. As she heard Whirlwind take a deep breath, she looked up again and watched as Whirlwind gently nudged her shoulder once more.

"Forgive me for yelling, but it's true. You could have seriously gotten hurt, and even if you didn't, who knows where you could've ended up!" Whirlwind looked Chihiro straight in the eye as a concerned frown fell over her face, "Promise me you'll never do something like that again?"

Chihiro regained her composure before she nodded quietly, her eyes focused on the floor rather than Whirlwind herself.

"And on top of that, we have no way to send you home! For all you know, you could be stuck here forever!" Whirlwind exclaimed.

"I'd be okay with that," Chihiro mumbled before her eyes sparkled and she jumped back to her feet, "Besides, now I can help you guys defeat Kaos!"

"What?"

"Well, you guys need the help of a portal master to defeat him, right? And now that I'm here—"

The end of Chihiro's sentence was cut off from everyone's ears as the door slammed open! Chihiro then watched as Spyro stood straight in the hallway and stared right at her and Whirlwind, his eyes raw with shock and his front paws clenched.

"Hugo told me what happened as soon as I got back," Spyro shouted, "Chihiro, how in Skylands did you get here?!"

Chihiro and Whirlwind both gave him a tired look.

"I'll fill you in," Whirlwind sighed as she leaned over and whispered the summary into Spyro's ear.

"WHAT!?" Spyro shouted, now finally caught up on the situation as he scrambled back, then looked at Chihiro and furrowed his brow, "Chihiro, you should NEVER, and I mean NEVER—"

"I already told her, Spyro, you can calm down."

Spyro only nodded and shut up. The three of them sat in an awkward circle of tension and piercing silence, with nobody really eager to talk again.

"So, if we're all here and all," Chihiro said as she teased her hair, "Then now I can propose my ingenious—"

"That'll have to wait, Chihiro," Spyro said as he flew in place, "Now that we've brought Cali back, Hugo wants me to check out the Far-Viewer so we can find the Eternal Air Source. Whatever idea you have, it'll have to wait until after the next mission."

And with that said, Chihiro pouted and watched as Spyro flew off.

Whirlwind, meanwhile, gave Chihiro a silent, sympathetic look before she followed him.

Chihiro took a peek at the flask still in her hand, before she uncorked the bottle and downed the potion in one large gulp. Of course, this wasn't a wise idea as it tasted _awful. _While she gagged and choked, the pain from her headache subsided!

Chihiro corked the bottle back up before she tossed it on her bed. Then with a smile, she dashed out of the room and into the hallway without a moment of hesitation—after all, her big adventure was going to start right now!

§

Outside, Spyro, Gill Grunt, Whirlwind, Hugo, Flynn, and Cali were all gathered into a cluster around the Far-Viewer. In the center was Cali, who fiddled around with the controls on the panel in front of the machine in an utter focused trance.

"Okay, add a bit of this, press a few buttons, and now turn this knob and… Done!" Cali said as she stepped back from the machine and stretched her arms.

She was a female, caracal-like mabu with dusty orange fur decorated with brown stripes, pointed ears, emerald eyes, and a slender-built body. She wore a red tank top, a brown belt and half-skirt over tan trousers, and brown boots and gloves with golden buckles.

"Thank you, Cali," Hugo said as he fixated his vision on the Viewer, his mind oblivious to the noise of the crowd that chattered among themselves.

While all this was going on, Chihiro sneaked her way in and tried to hide herself behind the bodies of this small, oblivious crowd. This only failed as she lost her train of vision, accidentally bumped into someone and stumbled back onto the grass.

"What was that?" Flynn asked before he stopped himself as he saw Chihiro.

"Frick, so much for stealth," Chihiro whispered as she watched Flynn chuckle and offer her a bulky hand.

"You need a hand, kiddo?"

Chihiro quietly nodded and took his hand. With the boost from his strength, she bolted back up with a small jump and poked her head over the small crowd that surrounded this strange machine.

"A-ha! There it is! The Eternal Air Source!" Hugo exclaimed as he looked into the Far-Viewer, then zoomed in further with a frown formed on his face, "But something seems wrong. Like, it's… possessed."

"What on Skylands are you talking about, Hugo?" Cali asked as she joined him where he was at.

"It seems like it's been infected with Kaos's magic—it's creating huge tornadoes everywhere it goes, and I'm getting strong readings of wicked magic from the Far-Viewer!" Hugo peered up a Cali as his eyebrows furrowed.

Meanwhile, the Far-Viewer sent out a tiny probe that created a magical holographic map for all to see.

"I'd recognize that architecture anywhere—that's the Stormy Stronghold!" Cali exclaimed as she glazed over the holographic map.

"Then I guess I know where we're going!" Flynn exclaimed as he turned around and made his way back to his balloon.

But before he could reach it, Cali grabbed him by the back of his jacket.

"Not so fast, Flynn," Cali scolded as she turned Flynn around to face her, "That's one of the biggest Drow strongholds in Skylands, and it's plagued with humongous tornadoes at that. Going there without proper preparations would be a death sentence!"

Flynn flushed red for mere moments, before he regained his composure and knocked a hand against his chest.

"Sure, that's what I was going to say!"

Cali rolled her eyes as she let go of Flynn and watched him examine the twisters for himself and quickly reel back.

"WOWZERS! THOSE ARE SOME BIG TWISTERS!" Flynn exclaimed before he coughed into his hand, "Hmm… If we're gonna go here and get that Eternal Air Source thingamabob back, I'm gonna need something to push me… _THROUGH _this storm…"

"Like a propeller?" Cali asked dryly.

"No, nothing like that," Flynn shook his head back and forth and zoomed further when his eyes sparkled with inspiration, "I KNOW WHAT WE NEED—A PROPELLER!"

Cali rolled her eyes, let out the loudest groan known to mankind, and then proceeded to bury her head in her hands.

"Now, where to find one that can withstand those storms is the next question…" Flynn mumbled as he placed a hand on his chin.

"Now that I think about it." Cali withdrew her head from her hands and peered back at Flynn, "The Drow that patrol Sky Schooner Docks are rumored to have a zeppelin with a propeller made of literal gold! If it's real, it should be just the thing we need!"

"Then I know where we're going!" Chihiro shouted before she realized that she had attracted everyone's attention and hung her head, "Dang it, Hatsuki. You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

Cali cocked her head in confusion, as did most others in this small crowd of magical creature, while Hugo gave Chihiro a scornful look.

"Chihiro, you were supposed to stay in the infirmary!" Hugo scorned as he shook a finger at Chihiro.

"Well, I'm feeling better now so there's no reason to stay there!" Chihiro stuck her tongue out at Hugo.

"Hugo, who is this?" Cali asked as she frowned slightly and tilted her head.

"This is—" Hugo let out a shout of dismay as Chihiro pushed him aside and faced Cali.

"I'll handle the introduction, Huges," Chihiro said as she stretched a hand out to Cali, "Name's Chihiro Hatsuki, portal master extraordinaire as of yesterday apparently."

Cali curtly nodded her head before she noticed Chihiro's limp hand and shook it.

"Now, I've met a couple humans in my life, but I've never known of a single one in Skylands with five fingers!" Cali examined Chihiro's hand with wide-eyed fascination.

"That's because I'm not from here!" Chihiro retracted her hand and placed it clasped against her chest, "It's a long story."

"Anyways, introductions are great and all, but we need to get going! I'm sure that propeller won't be waiting for us all day!" Hugo chided as he shoved himself between Chihiro and Cali.

"You heard the man—er, mole," Chihiro exclaimed as she strode off towards the area where Flynn kept his balloon, "To the Docks we go!"

But before she could get there, Spyro grabbed Chihiro by the back of her shirt. When Chihiro felt this, she turned around and gave him a frustrated expression, mouth turned to a twisted frown, arms crossed and all the likes.

"There is no way you're going there, not on my watch," Spyro said, his tone firm.

"Why not?" Chihiro asked as she pouted.

"It's too dangerous. You're way too young to be fighting serious battles and —"

"But you're not that much older that I am and YOU do it!" Chihiro poked Spyro's muzzle.

"But I AM more experienced," Spyro removed Chihiro's hand from his face and frowned, "Just stay here, okay? We can't lose another portal master so soon after we found them."

"_FIINNEEE,_" Chihiro moaned as she stomped away.

Spyro then flew over to the balloon and plopped down onto the grass next to it.

"Spyro!" shouted Gill Grunt as he zipped over and joined Spyro, "Think you could use some backup, ol' buddy ol' pal?"

"Are you sure, Gill?" Spyro asked with a look of slight hesitation, "You've been doing a lot of work today and—"

"Nonsense, Spy! I can't let my little buddy tackle dangerous missions like this on his own!" Gill gave Spyro a hearty pat on the back.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Gill, I am—"

"Spyro, you may be one of the first and most experienced Skylanders and all, but you're still a kid." Gill coughed into his fin and gave Spyro a serious yet caring gaze, "You can't put all the work on yourself."

Spyro's eyes avoided Gill's gaze before he quietly nodded and gave Gill a weak smile.

"Okay, I guess I wouldn't mind you tagging along."

"Great! So when do we shove off?" Gill asked as he cocked his harpoon cannon with a grin on his face.

"Whenever Flynn gets here, I guess." Spyro heard the sound of panting and made a teasing smile, "Speaking of Flynn, there he is now."

Flynn joined Gill and Spyro and panted. He slouched over and rested his hands on his knees for a few minute, then he sprung up with a wry smile on his face.

"Ready to go on a flight with Skylands' best pilot in history?" Flynn asked.

"Of course," Spyro said as he playfully rolled his eyes.

And with that, the three of them walked into the balloon. Flynn untied the ropes that kept the balloon bound to the ground and they flew off, all hearts fully ready for the dangers that would befall them…

§_About halfway through the trip…_§

"So, how long until we're there?" Spyro asked as his eyes watched the islands pass by below them.

"We should be about halfway there, Robbie-O—" Flynn said as he spun the balloon's wheel.

"It's Spyro." Spyro continued to look down when he heard some kind of rumbling come from the floor below them and frowned, "What's that sound?"

Spyro then moved away from the side of the basket and investigated the rest of the balloon. As he gazed over the door that lead to the balloon's storage compartment, he heard a rumble and scrambled back! His breath bated, Spyro watched in minute anticipation as the door rumbled even more…

Then slammed open as none other than Chihiro popped out!

"Wew! Sitting in the bottom floor of a hot air balloon's basket is no way to travel, let me tell you," Chihiro shouted as she crawled out from the balloon and slammed the door behind her, "So, are we there yet?"

Spyro's jaw practically dropped to the floor, as did the others before he gained the most frustrated look anyone had ever seen on him.

"CHIHIRO," Spyro shouted, almost beside himself with anger, "I TOLD YOU TO STAY AT THE ISLAND!"

Chihiro jumped for a bit before she turned around and scoffed.

"Well I'm the portal master and the portal master does what they want!" Chihiro crossed her arms and huffed once more, "Besides, if portal masters have all those fancy magic powers like you said, I'm sure I'll be fine!"

Spyro made what sounded like incomprehensible noises of frustration before he buried his head in his paws and moved to a corner of the balloon, all while he muttered to himself.

"So, what are we gonna do about the kid?" Flynn whispered as he looked at Gill Grunt.

"Well, we're too far ahead to go back now, so I guess she's coming with us for the mission," Gill said before he turned to look at Spyro, "What do you think, Spyro?"

Spyro took a deep breath, recollected himself, and joined the others.

"Gill's right." Spyro made a hesitant sigh, "If we turn back now, it'll be dusk before we get to the docks. So I guess you're coming with us, Chihiro."

Upon hearing this, Chihiro squealed with joy and bounced up and down with a vigor and glee so great that the entire basket shook with every jump she made.

"Just make sure you don't get hurt aND QUIT DOING THAT!" Spyro grabbed Chihiro by her shoulders and forced her to stop bouncing, which made the basket still once more.

"Sorry." Chihiro made a sheepish giggle.

And with that, they continued their flight to the docks with an extra member in tow, the anticipation now even greater than before…


	3. Chapter 3

"ARE WE __THERE __YET?" Chihiro moaned as she stared at the clouds that passed by.

It seemed like an eternity had passed since she had revealed her presence to the group, and yet they still had yet to reach their target island, the… Sky-something docks? That's what she thought Hugo called it, but it was no matter of concern—what concerned her more was how slow this trip was taking! Maybe she should've brought a game or something before she stowed away...

"Chihiro, you've asked that ten times now, and the answer is still no," Spyro replied as he pressed a paw against his face, "Go count the clouds or something until we get there."

"Fine!" Chihiro glaredat Spyro for mere moments before she looked back down at the passing skies, "One, two, three, four, five, ten, seventeen, twenty-eight, forty-one—HOLY CRAP SPYRO LOOK AT THIS!"

"WHAT HAPPENED?! DID THE DROW ATTACK?!" Spyro dashed over to Chihiro's side… And watched as she excitedly pointed at a cloud that slightly resembled a sitting rabbit.

"That cloud kinda looks like a bunny!" Chihiro exclaimed as she fixed her eyes on Spyro.

Spyro furrowed his brow and frowned deeply before he looked over the side of the basket and chuckled.

"It actually kinda does." Spyro noticed another cloud and pointed to it, "That one looks like a cat!"

Chihiro followed his gaze and her eyes sparkled.

"You're right! It looks like a cute little kitty cat!" She pointed to another cloud, "And that one looks like ice cream!"

"You're right! And I see a dog, and a flower..."

"And a bee, ew, I don't like bees, ooh, ooh and there's a monkey!"

The two of them giggled before they burst into laughter and fell to the basket of the balloon. Chihiro gently wrapped her arms around Spyro and pulled him into a warm hug, and in response Spyro's eyes widened for a bit before he pushed Chihiro away and rolled around on his side.

"So, are we there yet?" Chihiro asked as she sat up and paid attention to Flynn for a change.

"Not yet, Cheerio, but we should be there any moment now!" Flynn said as his eyes glazed over the map taped against the balloon to his side, "At least, if the map Cali gave me is correct…"

Chihiro peered over at the map as well, but with all of its crossed lines and Skylandian writing, she had absolutely no idea what it was saying.

"Yeah, forget that. I'm just gonna go back to pestering Spyro," Chihiro flopped back on the floor of the basket, "Hey. Hey. Hey,"—Chihiro poked Spyro's back once more—"Dragon boy. You gonna acknowledge me or what?"

"What?" Spyro asked as he rolled over to meet her view.

"Wanna thumb wrestle?" Chihiro held up a curled hand with an outstretched thumb, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"What now?" Spyro cocked his head.

"Thumb wrestling! You just go like this." Chihiro grabbed Spyro's paw and gently locked it around her hand, "And then you do this!"—And with that, Chihiro pushed down Spyro's toe with her thumb and giggled—"That means I win!"

"Hey, I wasn't ready yet!" Spyro ripped his paw out of Chihiro's hand, "I demand a rematch!"

"Unfortunately, your thumb battles will have to take a break for halftime, because we're here!" Flynn announced as he parked his balloon next to a small island, "All thanks to your __quite dashing and talented__ pilot!"

This island was made entirely out of dull gray stone that was covered in barrels filled with pointed spears and other weapons, its exit locked away by a tall wooden gate. From down below, you could easily spot the other islands, which were much larger and filled with strange, pale green-skinned humanoids with blank eyes covered in armor that brandished sharp weapons.

Spyro, Gill Grunt and Chihiro quickly jumped off the balloon and situated themselves on the island before they looked back at Flynn.

"I'm gonna go on ahead to the end of the islands! Meet you there!" Flynn shouted as he saluted the group.

And with that said, Flynn's balloon floated off, its basket drifted gently in the crisp autumn breeze.

"Race you there, Flynn!" Chihiro shouted as she frantically waved to him.

She then turned around and looked the wooden gate before she hit it straight in its metaphorical face. As she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, Chihiro racked her brain while her eyes fixed themselves on the door.

__I could magic it open—but I don't know any magic spells, __Chihiro thought as her expression zoned out—__I could break it down until there's no gate left!—__Chihiro looked over the gate one more time and shook her head—__Nah, that gate looks pretty tough on second thought. Maybe if Spyro and Gill helped—__

The sound of loud ruckus pulled Chihiro out of her thoughts as she turned around. There, she saw Spyro and Gill Grunt rummage through the various barrels of weaponry and other assorted objects stored on the island, their eyes fixed on everything around as they urgently search.

"CAN YOU GUYS KEEP IT DOWN?! I'M TRYING TO THINK HERE!" Chihiro shook a fist at them and huffed.

No response—they just kept digging.

Chihiro muttered some certain expletives she definitely shouldn't have been saying under her breath, then looked back at the gate, balled her hands into fist and clenched her teeth.

"I HATE YOU!" Chihiro side-kicked the gate and promptly reeled back in pain.

"A-ha!" Spyro exclaimed as he fished a golden key out from under a wooden barrel, "Found the key, now let's get this—"—Spyro turned around to face the gate, then took notice of Chihiro and dropped the key as he raced to her side—"HOLY—ARE YOU OKAY CHIHIRO!?"

"Side-kicking a wooden gate was not one of my best ideas," Chihiro moaned as she staggered up, noticed the key under Spyro's feet, then grabbed it and raced to the gate.

With a smile, she jammed the key into the lock and tried her darnedest to turn the key, but it was stuck! She tried to push it in further, turn it in fifty different directions, jiggle it, but none of the solutions that came to her mind worked. After what seemed like a good two minutes of struggling, Chihiro went back to Spyro's side and pushed him in front of the key, her facial expression darkened in frustration.

"It's __your __problem now, Spy."

As he rolled his eyes, Spyro investigated the key for a solid minute when a wave of understanding washed over him.

"I see what the problem is. You just jammed the key in all haphazardly." Spyro pulled out the key and carefully placed the key back in the lock.

After he was sure it was in, he gently turned the key. This caused the lock to unlock and fall to the floor with a clatter while the gate's door flung open as if by pure magic—though really it was just the result of a weight being lifted from its shoulders.

"I totally knew that, I was testing you to make sure you knew how to open gates properly," Chihiro said as she patted Spyro on the back with maybe a little more force than necessary, "Now, let's go find this propeller-thingie before it gets too dark!"

Both Spyro and Gill looked at each other with knowing glances and rolled their eyes.

"GOLDEN PROPELLER, GOLDEN PROPELLER! SAY IT WITH ME!" Chihiro hooted as she darted off with wide strides and fists pumped to the skies.

"Chihiro, stop! You'll attract the guards!" Spyro took to the skies and flew after her in hot pursuit.

"And I'd better go follow them so they don't get themselves hurt," Gill whispered as he smiled to himself and started up his jetpack, "Kids."

And with that, all three of them darted across the bridge—one was in pursuit of their objective, while the other two were in pursuit of the one…

§

As she strode forth, Chihiro embraced the wind in her hair as the feeling of adventure bubbled in her chest. She was filled with so much joy that she couldn't contain it—every moment that passed made her feel like running around at the speech of a race car!

__Finally, my first real adventure! __Chihiro thought as her heart pounded with excitement and pure elation…

That is, until she ran into something and tumbled back in pain. After she landed on her rear and looked up, her heart stopped.

There, straight in front of her, was a pale green-skinned humanoid with pointy ears and blank white eyes dressed in red and silver armor who brandished a shiny silver spear. Next to them, another elf of identical appearance dressed in silver and red armor that held a sword in their hand stood menacingly.

Both seemed to be completely stoic, their blank eyes fixed on Chihiro's figure and their mouths invisible under the cover of their metal masks. That is, until…

"K-2, how'd a kid get in here?! I thought you said that gate was impossible to open!" The first guard exclaimed as they glared at their companion.

"It was, C-4!" said the other guard, "At least, the guy who sold it to me said it was."

"Well, he certainly wasn't a reliable salesman, BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE A KID INTRUDING IN OUR IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS!" C-4 frantically gestured towards a grimacing Chihiro as if to make his point.

As the two guards bickered, Chihiro skittered backwards and bit her lip. Maybe if she ran while they were caught in their argument she could get to safety!… While she frantically scrambled away, Chihiro felt something grab her by the back of her shirt and gulped. Her whole body locked itself up in fear, completely unable to move a single joint or muscle, and yet her morbid curiosity forced her to look up and see a glaring K-2 was her captor.

"Oh no you don't, kiddo!" K-2 hissed.

Or not.

"Lord Kaos would skin us alive if he found out that we let a KID, of all things, sneak into our fortress—so we're just gonna hafta destroy the evidence."

Chihiro gasped as fear rushed through her. She forced herself with all her might struggled against his grasp and flailed with all her might, but it was no use—K-2's grasp was simply too strong.

"Now, C-4, what should we do with this kid?" K-2 turned to C-4, ears twitched with anticipation of an answer.

But C-4 didn't respond. Instead, C-4 stared out in the open, fear in his eyes.

"Hey, buddy, I think we should get outta here!" C-4 spat out as he trembled all over and shook K-2's shoulder.

"Why would you say that?! We're supposed to be guarding this place!"

"Because!" C-4 turned around and pointed towards the bridge.

K-2 rolled his eyes and looked over. As he looked, K-2's own expression turned panicked when he saw what was coming—a giant fireball that burned with the light of a hundred suns! As they panicked and screamed, K-2 let go of Chihiro and ran in circles while he tried to find an escape, but it was too late—the fireball hit him and C-4 straight in the chest!

Chihiro herself had narrowly dodged the fireball and fell to the floor just in time for it to whiz past her back. When the flame passed, she looked up to find K-2 and C-4, both collapsed to the floor in burning red armor while they screamed in pain, bloody, burnt cuts on the visible parts of their bodies.

"Chihiro Hatsuki, what in Eon's name were you thinking?!" Spyro exclaimed as he rushed to where Chihiro laid and gave her the most infuriated look he could muster, his brow furrowed so hard you could barely see his eyes and his teeth bared. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to you?!"

Chihiro winced and drew back from Spyro's gaze before she looked back at the burning guards.

"So, what are we gonna do with those guys?" Chihiro asked with a tilt of her head and a surprising level of calmness.

Spyro looked at the guards for mere moments, then walked to their backs and closed his eyes.

"W-w-w-what are you gonna do with us, Skylander?" they asked, an obvious trill in their voices as they trembled furiously.

"This." Spyro opened his eyes, which now flashed a sky blue.

He then blew a mighty gust of wind from his mouth, which caused the two guards to roll off the island and fall down into the sky! All that could be heard for mere moment was their screams, and then a thunk as they landed on what was presumed to be another, smaller island.

"We're okay!" shouted C-4.

"Yeah, if you count having a bunch of burns and broken bones as okay!" retorted K-2 as he moaned in between words.

Chihiro peered over the edge of the island and found that sure enough, the guards laid on a small grassy island in a pile on top of each other, their red-hot armor like an evening star or a flaming meteorite against the lush green grass of the island. She then turned around to face Spyro and gave him a smug grin.

"Ruthless."

"There's no time for remarks," Spyro said as he begun to fly, "We have to get going before they get away with the propeller,"—Spyro shot Chihiro a frustrated look—"And this time, __actually __stay with us and don't start a ruckus."

"Oh, you're no fun." Chihiro huffed as she crossed her arms, shook her head and whizzed past Spyro…

And then stopped short as she felt something grab her by the back of her shirt.

"Stay where I can see you." Spyro dragged Chihiro back to his side.

"'__Stay where I can see you.'__" Chihiro scoffed and pouted as she fell to the ground before a smile crept onto her face, "Then again, I __am __a portal master, and they can't tell the portal master what to do!"

And with that said, Chihiro dashed in front of Spyro and Gill. She looked like a blur to the untrained eye as she ran so fast that she spun them both around as if this was one of those old cartoons she watched on TV.

As the two of them staggered dizzily and tried to regain their balance, Spyro caught a faint glimpse of the multi-color blur in front of him and heard a shout of "Last one to the propeller's a rotten egg!"

And then, the realization hit him.

"CHIHIRO HATSUKI!" Spyro shouted, frustrated beyond belief, "IF YOU DON'T GET BACK HERE, SO HELP ME I'LL—"

"What? You'll hang me by my toes?" Chihiro stopped, turned around and giggled snidely.

"Chihiro, I'm not kidding!" Spyro's wings twitched as his cheeks puffed with an undignified rage.

However, Chihiro had grown too far away to hear him, and for him to hear her… That is, until she ran into yet another gate and shouted with screams of pain so loud you could hear them practically all the way across the island.

"****STUPID GATE****!" Chihiro's voice echoed across the skies and caused birds to fly off from their roosts.

Spyro only muttered something under his breath before he flew off to find Chihiro, his head ashake with frustration the whole time.

As Chihiro staggered back up and turned around, she found Spyro staring her down with an unamused look. As his gaze pierced her soul, her head slunk so far down that it was almost level with her shoulders.

"Did not see that gate there," Chihiro chuckled as she pressed a fist to her lips and looked to her side.

Spyro just continued to glare her down before his gaze fell over at the gate and transformed from frustration to a hint of intrigue. After he scanned it over, he bit his lip and went deep into thought.

"Doesn't look like there's a key," Spyro mumbled at a volume so low it could barely be heard, "And it looks too tough for the two of us to knock down by ourselves. Unless…"—Spyro motioned with his paw for Gill Grunt to come forward—"Gill! I could use your help here!"

As Gill went over and discussed a possible solution with Spyro, Chihiro's eyes trailed over to a nearby cannon. With a curious hmm, she climbed over the top of the cannon, rapped on its steel top and tilted her head curiously. As she pressed her fingers against her chin, Chihiro narrowed her eyes and focused hardly on the cannon. An idea formed in her head, Chihiro slid down the side of the cannon and looked at Spyro.

"Okay, that's it. This gate's not budging," Spyro said as he sat down and panted, a tired gaze directed towards the wooden gate and then towards Chihiro, "And what are you doing?"

Chihiro looked over to the skies, where several zeppelins were flying in a group overhead in a triangular formation. Their rich green and cream-striped balloons made them stand out well against the slowly-changing evening skies of bold oranges, yellows, red and purples.

"Spyro, hear me out," Chihiro said, a small smile across her face, "You see those zeppelins flying in the sky?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

"What if?" Chihiro gestured as much as she could while she looked Spyro straight in the face, "We took that cannon over there, knocked one of those zeppelins straight outta the sky, and crashed it into the gate? That'll knock it down for sure!"

"Chihiro, how on Skylands would that even work?" Spyro gave Chihiro a flat stare, "What would we even put in the cannon? There's no ammo anywhere!"

Spyro looked right and left as he spoke—and he was right, there was not a single piece of reasonable ammo anywhere to be found.

"Well do __you __have any better ideas?"

Spyro drew silent as they both stared each other down. Chihiro had to admit, he did have a point—they couldn't exactly fire off a cannon without any ammo. Unless…

Chihiro just gave Spyro a mischievous stare, a suspicious grin on her face as she eyed him.

"Chihiro, what's with that look?" Spyro asked, a hint of concern in his voice before it finally hit him exactly what she was thinking, "Oh no no no no no NO. You are not suggesting that I—"

"INTO THE CANNON YOU GO!" Chihiro shouted with an eager beam.

Then, without a moment's hesitation she grabbed Spyro by his front leg with one hand, opened the cannon's hatch with another, and shoved him into the cannon without a second thought.

"CHIHIRO—" Spyro wasn't able to get out another word.

Chihiro had shut the hatch behind him and grasped the cannon's handles, her eyes focused on the skies. As she grasped them, she watched the metal orbs on the cannon flash a shade of purple as magical energy radiated around the cannon, almost as Spyro itself was its battery. Muffled shouts of disapproval came from the inside of the cannon as Chihiro flipped up the handles to find bright red buttons.

"Now what does this button do?" Chihiro asked mischievously, a sly grin on her face as she slammed the button down with her thumb as hard as she could!

This caused a bright red and orange fireball to come barreling out of the cannon and smack right into the side of a small zeppelin! Chihiro's eyes lit up as she watched it fall, and she laughed even louder as she spun the cannon around and shot fireballs at everything she could see—zeppelins, clouds, the occasional bird… Fire rained down from the skies and set everything within its path alight as zeppelins crashed into each other and fell down below the skies like drops of rain.

"Chihiro, calm down!" Gill Grunt shouted as he ran to her side, grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her off the cannon, "You're gonna burn the whole place down if you keep this up!"

"Oh, I'm sure it's not THAT ba—" Chihiro said before she turned around and noticed her rain of destruction, "Whoops."

Just then, a fireball came raining down next to them and slammed straight into the gate! Chihiro let out a shrill squeal of fear and clung to Gill's side while Gill Grunt readied his water cannon and immediately hosed down the gate. Thanks to this sudden drink, the gate had been reduced to nothing but burnt wood and ash. As it crumbled to bits, an incoming breeze swept away the remains as if they hadn't even existed in the first place.

"Well, we got rid of the gate, at least!" Chihiro exclaimed, a nervous grin on her face as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

As she stood and basked, the cannon's hatch then flipped open and Spyro crawled out! Chihiro jumped and squealed as she heard the pound of the cannon's metal roof, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw it was just Spyro.

"Chihiro," Spyro groaned as he faced her and tried his best to keep his balance simultaneously, "Never, again, are you—"

Spyro never finished his sentence—he just stumbled, fell to the ground and moaned while he held his head.

"Guess I took you for a little spin, huh golden boy?" Chihiro asked, her eyes darted from side to side as a blush of crimson dusted her cheeks.

She had gotten so caught up in getting the gate taken care of that she didn't stop to think it would actually hurt him! A pang of guilt twanged in Chihiro's chest as she clutched her shirt before she gently lifted Spyro off the ground, carefully positioned him on her back and wrapped his front legs around her shoulders.

"Just hold on tight, alright?" Chihiro smiled and nuzzled Spyro's head with her own.

Spyro didn't reply, he just dropped his head onto the top of Chihiro's and closed his eyes.

"And away we go!" Chihiro shouted as the three of them marched onto the next path.

§

"Okay, I'm pretty sure we passed that tower like five times now." Chihiro said while Spyro still clung to her back.

Spyro pressed his head against the back of Chihiro's and made a soft groan, still in plenty of pain from his unexpected spin.

"I'm getting there, golden boy," Chihiro whispered as she nudged her head against his in a surprisingly gentle manner.

"It's Spyro," Spyro mumbled, before he shook his head and came to his senses, "Why do you keep calling me that, anyway?"

"Cause your eyes are gold, and so are your horns, and your claws, and—"

"Okay, I get it." Spyro climbed back down from Chihiro's back and situated himself on the ground before looking over his surroundings.

Chihiro, ever true to her word, was right—it seemed like they had been running circles around the same path with the same stone bridge, the same stone tower, the same spell punk…

"Wait a second," Spyro exclaimed as he noted the tiny spell punk, "What are you doing?!"

The spell punk looked confused and pointed at itself.

"Yes, you!"

The spell punk stood frozen like a sheep in the path of a mighty dragon that aimed to make it into an afternoon snack. Then, it panicked and zoomed off all while it exclaimed some kind of gibberish language.

"After it!" Spyro exclaimed as he stormed after the spell punk in hot pursuit, his mind so fixed on it that he only took slight notice to Chihiro and Gill running behind him.

"Krtz, krtz, Chihiro to home base, we've got a little hooded guy making a break on…" Chihiro said into an invisible walkie-talkie before she looked over the pathway and paused.

The spell punk had disappeared over a wooden gate with a shiny golden lock positioned next to a stone platform.

"Yeah, I probably can't jump over that." Chihiro heaved a sigh and gazed at the gate before her grin turned wide, "Y'know, if there's a gate, chances are there's a key somewhere too!"—She then peered upwards to find a mint-skinned drow soldier clad in black and silver armor who took a snooze on his job, a glistening golden key tied to his waist—"And there it is!"

Chihiro jumped onto the platform's edge and grasped it with pale hands as she struggled to pull herself up. But, it was to no avail—she struggling for all of five seconds before her arms turned to jelly and she fell on her rear.

As she whimpered slightly, Chihiro staggered back up and looked back at Spyro and Gill, who were still searching all over the passageway for a key, before she cleared her throat and waved her arms.

"Guys, I found the key!" she shouted.

Spyro and Gill turned around and saw her point to the sleeping drow guard with excitement. Before they did anything, however, Spyro went up and shushed her first.

"Keep it down, we don't wanna wake up the guard," he whispered.

Spyro flew up, looked over the guard for all of five seconds, and snatched the key from his belt. He then flew down to where the gate was standing, pushed the slender key inside and turned it. With a stoic walk back, Spyro watched the lock fall down onto the sun-warmed stone pathway!

"We did it!" Chihiro whispered, "Now let's get out of here before—"

The sound of clanking metal resounded through the area as the guard awoke and looked at them for all of three seconds before panicking.

"INTRUDERS!" he screeched as he grabbed his spear, "YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE PROPELLER, NOT ON MY WATCH!"

Chihiro squeaked and hid behind Spyro, which caused the drow to laugh.

"Hide all you want, child! It won't do you any good!" The drow narrowed his eyes.

Spyro snarled and stood his ground as he spread out his legs and flared out his wings. But, before he addressed the guard, he turned around and gave Chihiro a serious gaze.

"Stay back, we'll handle this," Spyro whispered.

§

"If you want a fight, then we'll give you one!" Spyro shouted as he stared the drow guard straight in the face, then took to the skies and charged up a flaming hot fireball!

The drow guard readied his spear and charged when the fireball hit him straight in the face and sent him reeling! Instead of enacting the assault he planned, the guard merely stumbled back and yowled in pain.

Spyro scoffed and dropped back down, about ready to carry on when the sound of pounding footsteps caught everybody's attention.

What seemed like a whole platoon of drow soldiers now stood right on the other side of the opened gate and stared them straight in the face. There were foot soldiers who brandished spears and curved swords, mages with shiny staffs and blades, muscular brutes with rippling chests… It seemed like at least a good fraction of their forces had arrived in response to the call!

The soldiers looked at them and they looked at the soldiers, everybody expressing emotions that ranged from fear to shock to absolute exasperation. Some soldiers even dropped their weapons in shock.

"Intruders?! In OUR stronghold?!" shouted one soldier decked out in shiny, elaborate silver armor as he glared daggers into the face of one of his subordinates, "You told me that those gates were impenetrable!"

"That wasn't me, sir, that was C-4!" retorted the soldier.

His higher-up scoffed and heaved a sigh.

"How would I know? You all look the same to me!" Shouted the officer as he turned back to Spyro and Gill and gave them piercing glares.

"Whatever, what's done is done, and if we don't want Lord Kaos to cut our salaries." The officer scoffed and cast an aside glance, "As if he even pays us in the first place,"—the officer raised his voice and glared down Spyro and Gill Grunt—"We should stop flapping our lips and get fighting!"

"Gladly!" Spyro exclaimed as he took to the skies and shot red-hot flames out of his mouth that scorched his opponents in a straight line below.

Meanwhile, Gill took the righthand side and cocked his harpoon gun. The gun's barrel rotated out, which left an open space where the harpoon once was—an open space that was quickly filled by streams of scalding hot water! Screams of pain and battle cries were heard all around as the drow collapsed in a wet, scalding pile.

Shielded by the heat of the battle, Chihiro got on all fours and crawled through the warfield before she hid behind a collection of rough wooden barrels. Once she was certain she was safe, she felt her limbs safely turn numb from panic.

__Oh crap, oh crap, I didn't think things would get THIS bad!__ Chihiro panicked as her eyes shrunk and her heart pounded, __What am I gonna do?! Maybe this is why Spyro wanted me to stay behind…__

Chihiro ran her soft hands against the grainy surface of the largest barrel and observed the battle through a hole in its surface. As she watched, her mind raced with all sorts of possibilities. __BAD __possibilities.

__I can hardly perform magic, I don't have any weapons, and I'm not good at fighting at all! There's no way I'll be able to hold my own…Unless…__

Then, with a wicked smile stretched across her lips, Chihiro shoved the barrels in front of her into the crowd of drow. While the barrels hit many of them in the head, Chihiro dashed off to a group of crates.

Screams of shock and yowls of agony were heard all around as drow soldiers fell down due to sudden concussions and tried to pick splinters out of their uniforms.

"Who's there?!" shouted the drow's commanding office while his head swerved left and right.

But there was no solid reply—in the chaos of battle, there were so many voices that shouted about, nobody could tell who was who.

"If there's one thing I've learned from TV," Chihiro proclaimed as she heaved up a medium-sized oakwood crate and launched it at the commander's head, "It's that the element of surprise is your best friend in the heat of combat!"

As the crate hit the commander in the head, his helmet was knocked off and he fell to the floor. Meanwhile, the crate splintered open, which caused gunpowder-filled bombs to scatter everywhere—and as it just so happened, Spyro had been casting out flames overhead, which hit the wicker fuses of the bombs in mere moments of their casting.

"TAKE COVER!" Gill yelled as he noticed the sudden rain of bombs, gulped and dived to safety.

The few that heard him turned around in shock and mumbled among themselves, before they saw the bombs at their feet—and those bombs' burnt-away fuses.

One could probably guess what happened next—the bombs exploded from the heat of Spyro's flames, which sent off a chain reaction where one bomb exploded after the next. This caused a huge blast like a giant show of fire that scorched the drow soldiers and sent many of them aflame.

The battlefield erupted into incoherent screeching and babbling, and then into one loud, collective "RETREAT!" as the soldiers all ran off in the westmost direction, their flaming coats so unified that together they looked like one big bonfire. The few that couldn't run off stayed unconscious on the floor, which the few conscious ones moaned and wailed in pain.

Gill blinked, before he turned around and saw Chihiro, who only giggled and waved her hand.

"Chihiro, did you do that?" Gill asked as he blinked several more times, maybe a little unsure of his question.

Chihiro giggled for a solid five seconds before she beamed and nodded firmly.

"Let's just say that I'm better at improvising battle strategies than I thought I was," Chihiro trilled while her heart pounded still from the anxiety of earlier.

"What on Skylands was that?" Spyro asked as he flew down.

"That was me, heh." Chihiro stood as tall and proud as she could, though the twitch of her smile implied a bit of residual anxiety still..

"That was… Actually pretty impressive," Spyro admitted as he watched her and nodded firmly.

Chihiro beamed happily.

"But watch what you're doing next time—you could've gotten us all killed!" Spyro scolded as he looked at her and pointed a claw.

Chihiro was stung by his words for mere moments, before she nodded and made a weak smile.

"You're right, golden boy," Chihiro admitted as she scratched the back of her head, "And… Sorry for not listening to you earlier. I didn't realize how dangerous this actually was, and I thought you guys were just worrying too much, but... Now I know you were just looking out for me. I'll just let you guys take the lead from now on."

Spyro just stood silent, completely surprise by Chihiro's change in attitude, before he smiled himself and nodded.

"Apology accepted." Spyro then turned around and gazed down the open path, "Now follow me, we've got a golden propeller to get!"

Chihiro giddily skipped forward… And proceeded to snag her foot on a slightly-loosened brick, which caused her to fall flat on her face.

"OWCH!" Chihiro rubbed her face and looked up.

While she peered into the skies, she could've sworn she saw a shimmer of gold that glistened ever-so-slightly in the evening light. And she was right—there, among a swarm of smaller airships, was a giant, drow zeppelin propelled by what had to be their target—a propeller in a shade of gold so strong it stood proud against the evening skies!

"Guys, I think I found what we were looking for."

"What?" Spyro uttered as he turned around, saw the giant zeppelin and gained the widest smile on his face, "That's it! There it is!"—Spyro pointed eagerly at the zeppelin before turned to Gill Grunt—"Gill, do you see it?!"

"See what—" Gill Grunt said before he turned around to see the propeller and chuckled to himself, "Well, looks like we found what we're looking for."

They all stood proudly for all of five seconds, before their expression turned confused.

"Now how do we get it down?" Gill Grunt asked.

"Frick, I didn't think of that," Chihiro remarked.

She turned around and noticed a worn, wooden turret that was charred with black dust. Despite its stains, it seemed to be in perfect working order, which gave her an idea.

"Actually, I do have a little inkling of an idea~" Chihiro said, a mischievous look on her face.

"And that would be—" Spyro asked, turning around before noticing the old turret Chihiro was standing next to and froze, "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, I am NOT going back in there!"

"Actually I was thinking about how good creamsicles would be right about now, but that works too!" Chihiro shouted as she grabbed Spyro by his front paws and heaving him up.

"WAIT WAIT STOP I'M SURE THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS—OOF!"

Chihiro stopped and gently dropped Spyro back on the ground. Or so she thought—actually, he fell on his rump, toppled backwards, and hit his head on the stone pavement.

As he groaned, Spyro pushed himself forward and rubbed his head with one paw before he gave Chihiro a contemptuous look.

"Sorry 'bout that," Chihiro said before she ran a finger against the surface of the turret, "Now work your magic, golden boy!"

Spyro breathed in and slammed both his front paws onto the turret. His eyes flashed a bright purple in color, and he chanted something in a language Chihiro couldn't quite understand. Everything around him seemed to radiate with magical energy as he chanted like the magic around him bent to his will.

As his chanted intensified, the turret then clattered and came to life! It shot magical orbs into the sky, with such precision and accuracy it was hard to believe there wasn't a skilled user at the helm.

"That's awesome, Spyro!" Chihiro shouted as her eyes glittered.

As they sat in admiration, the turret turned around and shot an orb right above Chihiro's head! Chihiro let out a panicked squeal, she fell down to the ground and covered her head with her hands. Thankfully, the sphere then whizzed right past her and slammed straight into the side of a small zeppelin which caused it to come crashing down in flames.

"Yep, still awesome," Chihiro said as she smiled and looked back up.

Chihiro wrapped her arms around Spyro and squeezed him tight with her cheek pressed against his. She, however, squeezed him too tight and caused him to start gasping for air! As she noticed this, Chihiro loosened her grasp and let him breath.

Spyro then gently clasped onto her one arm and smiled slightly.

All was peaceful for those few moments… That is, until they were both snapped out of their thoughts by the sound of something crashing into the next area over! The backlash was so strong that it sent tremors throughout the rest of the islands and made Spyro, Gill and Chihiro all tumble down onto their faces as their legs had turned to jelly.

As the tremors died, Chihiro moaned and sat back up. She rubbed her face before she weakly stood and turned around to find the front of a giant zeppelin crashed into where there used to be a wooden gate.

"SPYRO! GILL! LOOKLOOKLOOK!" Chihiro exclaimed as she bounced up and down.

Chihiro then scrambled further into the wreckage and overstepped splintered wooden beams and holes in the balloon itself to get to the other side. When she got there, much like she had thought, there was the golden propeller in all its glory!… Or so she had believed.

Rather, upon examination, the golden glimmer she thought she had seen was just golden paint, which had peeled off and revealed a worn, __normal __propeller that certainly couldn't be used to traverse tornadoes.

"Great, just great, it was a decoy all along!" Chihiro exclaimed before she heaved a sigh and sat down on the floor, "By this time, they've probably escaped already!"

As she rubbed her finger against the dirt, Chihiro heaved another heavy sigh and pressed her cheek against her shoulder.

"Chihiro, what in the Elementals' good name are you screaming about?" Gill Grunt asked as he hopped over a stray broken wooden beam, Spyro close by his side.

He then examining the false propeller before he looked over at a distinctly low-spirited Chihiro and closed his mouth.

"Nevermind," she mumbled in distinctly low spirits, "Guess I was wrong."

"Hey, what's that?" Gill looked up at the sky with curious eyes.

"Huh?" Chihiro peered up and then scrambled to her feet.

There, a giant zeppelin at least twice the size of the one they had taken down flew through the clouds as fast as it possibly could, with a large, shiny golden propeller attached to its end!

Chihiro's eyes widened, her momentary time of sadness completely forgotten as she scrambled over to Spyro and Gill and pointed rapidly.

"THEREITISTHEREITISITSTHEGOLDEN—"

"Chihiro, please calm down! We can all see the zeppelin with the real golden propeller—" Spyro said before it hit him what he just uttered, "IT'S THE ZEPPELIN WITH THE PROPELLER!"

Spyro calmed himself in mere moments and scrambled after it with lightning speeds.

"Spyro, wait up!" Chihiro shouted as she sprinted after him, before that sprint turned to excited bounds and leaps.

§

"We're off to find a propeller, a propeller the shade the gold~" Chihiro sang as she swung her arms and strode jauntily.

Gill and Spyro followed suit, both with unsure looks on their faces, before Gill finally broke the ice.

"So…Does anybody know where the propeller went, right?"

Chihiro stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at the skies—which now lacked the zeppelin she was tracking earlier. A mixture of panic and frustration fell over Chihiro as she shook and anxiously looked back and forth, clasped her hands up, then turned back to them and gave them an anxious smile.

"Oh, I'm sure it's around here somewhere! I mean, it couldn't have gone too far—"

Just then, the sound of something hitting the ground echoed around the island! Chihiro whipped her head around to find none other the giant zeppelin they were following, which now just barely peeked above a wooden gate!

"It's right there!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed her finger at the gate with frantic motions.

__That was oddly convenient, __Chihiro thought as she avoided Spyro and Gill Grunt's gaze, __I hope they didn't see me freaking out.__

Chihiro darted over to the gate, noticed had two holes that were just barely big enough to peek through, knelt down, and peered through the larger of the two.

A bunch of drow soldiers in various shapes and sizes marched off of the parked zeppelin, while a tall, bulky drow dressed in what seemed like a black and blue military captain's uniform ordered them around.

As she struggled to understand what he said, Chihiro motioned for Spyro to come over.

"Me?" Spyro inquired as he poked a claw to his scaled chest.

Chihiro nodded frantically, strands of her inky black hair stuck up and astray.

Spyro flew over and peeked through the smaller hole.

"Can you understand a word they're saying?" Chihiro asked, her voice hushed to as soft a whisper she could make.

Spyro shushed her and went to listening, his eyes closed and focused for mere moments. Then, with optimistic eyes he drew his head back and focused on Chihiro.

"You were right, Chihiro! They've got the propeller!…" Spyro said before he looked at his paw, "Either that, or they were ordering pizza. I'm not very fluent in Drow, unfortunately."

"THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!" Chihiro shouted.

She then lodged her feet in the holes and grasped the top of the wooden gate before she looked at Spyro. She then bit her lip, hopped back down and looked at Spyro with a chuckle.

"You got a plan, Golden Boy?" Chihiro asked as she knelt down to his side.

"Actually…" Spyro whispered something into Chihiro's ear.

As Chihiro's eyes sparkled and her head nodded rapidly, Spyro looked at Gill Grunt and whispered the same plan to him. Once he finished, Spyro and Gill Grunt both shared a nod. Spyro then charged forward and knocked the gate flat on the ground!

The three of them charged forward into the next area… And right into where the drow were having their address.

"So, um, you guys still ordering pizza?" Chihiro giggled as she teased a strand of hair.

§

The soldiers in the vicinity proceeded to draw their weapons and brandish them in a circle around the trio.

Chihiro squealed and before she dodged behind a conveniently-placed group of barrels. As she trembled behind the barrels, Chihiro bit her nails while the drow shouted things in a language she couldn't understand. A bright orange light flared against the barrels' side, and Chihiro peeked out to find that Spyro and Gill had gained the drow soldiers' attention!

And with that, an epic battle between the many parties unfolded before her eyes! Harpoons and fireballs were tossed among the clanking and grinding of metal, the sound of slamming fists and so many more.

Chihiro's eyes sparkled in awe from what she watched, before she shook her head and gained a determined look.

__Remember the plan, Chihiro, __Chihiro thought as her eyes glazed over the scenery, __While they take care of the soldiers, you have to find a way to get the propeller.__

Chihiro continued to scan the area until she heard the sound of grunting and turned around. With the utmost of care, she crept behind the barrels with the lightest of footsteps and the barest of breaths, a bit less anxious now that she knew her foes were distracted. As she dodged behind crates and more barrels, her eyes glazed over to the nearby ship—the bridge of which had been completely unattended due to the fight! But, however, a more curious sight on it caught her attention next.

There, bound to the ship's mast with coarse, itchy rope was a peculiar-looking person!

They had bob-cut, bright blue hair, warm peach skin, fingernails that were painted a brilliant red and eyes the same color. They wore a bright red sleeveless top and skirt, and a red, oval-shaped jewel was planted on their forehead. What was most peculiar about this someone was that instead of legs, a trail of bright bluish-green mist was under their skirt, and a set of fairy wings of similar color sprouted from their back. Their face was etched with a frown as they tried desperately to escape, but nothing they did seemed to work—the ropes were too strong.

As she looked both ways to make sure nobody was watching, Chihiro scrambled on all fours towards the mast. That is, until she ran a few steps too far and stopped in her tracks. As she retraced her steps, Chihiro found herself at the back of the mast, then with an inquisitive look on her face she carefully untied the ropes.

After a few seconds of struggling, the ropes came undone and fell into a pile on the floor while the person realized they were free and flew upwards. As they stretched their arms upwards, the person surveyed the battlefield below them and scorned before they clasped their hands together and closed their eyes.

The drow soldiers were stuck in place while a mystical blue aura glowed around them before they were lifted into the air! They all screamed and squealed in shock as they spun around like dancers and juggled in mid-air while the winged person giggled.

Chihiro herself couldn't help but laugh at their predicament and watched the show with an amused heart. It was more like she was watching a circus act, like she wasn't even in the heat of the mission.

The drow soldiers then fell back down to the floor while the shock from their fall knocked them unconscious.

"Thank you for releasing me, strange, happy traveler!" The winged person said as they flew down to Chihiro's side and curtsied, "At least, I assume it was your doing?"

Chihiro nodded swiftly. Her bangs bounced up and down in the cool autumn air before she looked back at the stranger with sparkling eyes.

"Thank you very kindly for freeing me then, happy traveler!" The stranger held out their hand, "I am Persephone, queen of the fairy kingdom."

Chihiro's eyes kept sparkling as she shook Persephone's hands while Spyro jumped onto the ship's deck.

"There you are, Chihi—PERSEPHONE!" Spyro said before he realized just who stood next to Chihiro.

Spyro was wide-grinned for mere moments, before he gained a realization and turned around to Chihiro.

"Chihiro, this is Persephone, she's one of our allies and—"

"Don't worry, Spy," Chihiro said as she flapped a hand, "Her majesty Persephone already introduced herself!"

"I never caught your name, though~" Persephone injected with a gentle grin.

Chihiro giggled awkwardly, turned away from Spyro and focused her attention on Persephone as she bowed ever-so-slightly.

"I am Chihiro Hatsuki, current portal master and protector of Skylands as of yesterday morning. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your majesty," Chihiro said with all sorts of formality in her voice before she straightened herself back up.

"There's no need to be stiff, you may just call me Persephone." Persephone chuckled and flapped her hand playfully.

Chihiro blushed, her eyes dodged back and forth as she giggled awkwardly. After all, she had never met an actual queen before! She then darted off to back of the ship and peered over it to see its golden propeller. Just to be absolutely certain, Chihiro bent down, scratched the top of the propeller for a few moments, and sternly examined her hand.

"Yep, that's real gold alright!" Chihiro exclaimed as she bounced back up.

Persephone then flew over to where Chihiro stood and smile before she closed her eyes and lifted her arms up.

Possessed by Persephone's magic, the propeller detached itself from the ship and began floating in midair!

Chihiro clapped her hand with utter glee while Spyro and Gill joined them where they were. Spyro couldn't help by smile as he gazed over the propeller, which now sparkled in the evening light.

"We'd better call Flynn already and get back to the ruins. Chances are, he'll go wild when he sees this," Spyro said as he looked for Flynn, "Where is he, anyway? I thought he said he'd—"

"You called?" Flynn asked as his balloon flew up to them almost immediately.

"Speak of the devil," Spyro teased with a playful, fanged smile.

Flynn gave them one of his trademark smolders, which then turned to a look of pure, undulated glee when he saw the propeller.

"It's even better in person!" He squealed as he hopped out of the balloon basket and went to examine the machine with sparkling eyes.

"And it's made of real gold, too!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped down and gushed over the propeller and her adventure with Flynn for what seemed like the next hour.

Spyro and Gill, meanwhile, sat there and watched them impatiently for all of the time. They looked up at the darkening sky and realized just what time it was getting to be as they turned back to the chattering crowds.

"You know, instead of gushing about the propeller, maybe we could get back home so we can actually install it?" Spyro reminded sternly.

"Riiiiight, I was getting to that, Spyro buddy," Flynn claimed as he made a goofy smile, "Now, can you guys help me get this thing in the balloon?"

As they heaved the propeller into the basket, Chihiro looked over at Persephone, who watched them from the sidelines.

"Persephone," Chihiro asked, "What were you doing on the ship anyway?"

Persephone's happy smile turned to a look of shock, then to a frown as she sighed a decidedly unhappy sigh.

"It's a very long story, young honorable Chihiro," Persephone said as her eyes turned glassy, "But in short, I was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Chihiro's head tilted as a frown formed on her face.

Persephone nodded sadly as she looked over to the golden evening skies.

"But, why?" Chihiro asked before she looked back at her feet awkwardly, "I mean, if you're comfortable saying, of course, you don't have to—"

Persephone looked up and cast a swirl of sparkling blue magic.

"Fairy magic has this wonderful ability to increase the abilities of those it is given to. In largest amounts, it could make someone even stronger than Traptanium!" Persephone's frown then deepened. "As you could guess, many travelers wish for it, some for happy intentions, others less so,"—Persephone clutched her skirt as tears formed in her eyes—"And Kaos was one of them."

Chihiro quite easily picked up on Persephone's sorrow, which caused a swirl of emotion to form within her own heart.

"Shortly after the Core's destruction, I was crowned queen of the fairy kingdom! It was a wonderful time, but oh so short." Persephone then looked up at the skies and her tone turned somber, "Kaos came to my home with an army, demanding that we ally ourselves with him and use our magic to power his army."

"And you said no, he didn't like it, and he kidnapped you?" Chihiro's face turned concerned and upset as she saw Persephone nod.

"He took me captive in a fit of rage, and I never saw my kingdom again." Small tears formed in the corners of Persephone's eyes and slid down her plump cheeks, "My sisters could all be suffering, and I wouldn't even know it."

Chihiro was only shocked speechless, her jaw open just a little before she clenched it and furrowed.

"Don't worry, Persephone," Chihiro whispered before she raised her volume to a cry of determination and jumped up while fire burned in her eyes, "I'll set him straight! We'll rebuild the Core of Light and then we're gonna beat him and send him crawling back to where he came from!"

Persephone watched in shock for a few moments, before she made another gentle smile.

"Thank you, young honorable one." Persephone chuckled and wiped away her tears.

Chihiro's determined expression turned into another gentle smile to complement Persephone's until she felt something loom over them and turned around to find Spyro facing her.

"Now, what are we waiting for? We've got to get back home!" Chihiro exclaimed as she darted off before Spyro could tell her anything… Then zoomed back to Spyro's side and gave him a sheepish look.

"So, Spyro, what're we doing now?"

Spyro cleared his throat and looked at Chihiro.

"We just finished getting the propeller situated and we need to get back home so we can install it—Flynn says that unfortunately, he left all his tools there," Spyro informed with a formal nod.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Chihiro darted back off and vaulted into the basket of Flynn's balloon, "Last one in's a moldy piece of chicken!"

"Hey, I'm no moldy piece of chicken!" Spyro exclaimed as he jumped in and stood close to Chihiro and watched as she gave him a cheerful smile.

Gill jumped into the basket next and took a seat next to Flynn, while Persephone floated over and sat next to Chihiro.

"Guess you're the moldy piece of chicken!" Chihiro jested as she poked Persephone on the nose.

"Wait, you mean to say that I am rotten?" Persephone sniffed as her lip quivered.

"No no, I didn't mean it like that! You're a really nice person—er, fairy—I promise! In fact, forget I said anything, no moldy pieces of chicken here!" Chihiro shook her hands back and forth with genuine worry in her brown eyes.

"Very fair then!"

Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief and looked out of the side of the now-airborne basket.

The bright reds and oranges of the evening sky had faded to deep blues and purples—a sign of the incoming night.

"Man, this is one awesome propeller!" Flynn exclaimed, his eyes more focused on the propeller than the path itself, "I can't wait to get back and—"

Flynn stopped short because they had just bumped into the side of a tower. The tower crumbled immediately—though luckily, they had gotten out of the way before the wreckage landed.

"Flynn, can you focus on flying the balloon? You can obsess over the propeller when we get back to the island," Spyro complained.

"Sheesh, I'm going! Can't blame a guy for wanting to trick his balloon out," Flynn teased as he gave Spyro a playing stare.

He then pulled a lever that caused bright lights to unfold from the front of the balloon and light the way forward, a path of light made in the inky night sky.

"Whatever you say, Flynn, just focus on actually flying it." Spyro grasped the front of the basket with both front paws while he bit his lip and twitched his tail fretfully, almost as if he dreaded the return home.

§

Back home, everybody gathered at the island's hub in admiration of the Golden Propeller. Practically everybody on the island had come together while they chattered among themselves, Chihiro among them as she bragged about her (most definitely over-exaggerated) feats.

"Finally, you got it!" Hugo shouted as he gazed at the propeller with utmost joy.

"Yep!" Chihiro exclaimed with utmost glee, "You wanna hear about how we got it?"

"Maybe tomorrow, Chihiro." Hugo clicked his tongue, "It's getting late, we'd better get some sleep."

Hugo rubbed his eyes before he yawned again and turned towards the crowds behind them, which had finally dispersed as everybody broke off to rest or attend to night shifts.

As she was left with little company to commune with, Chihiro shrugged and bounced off.

"Speaking of sleeping," Hugo remarked as he saw Spyro cross his path, tapped Spyro on the back, and watched as Spyro jumped in his place.

"Hugo, it's just you," Spyro panted as he stumbled back for mere moments and regained his composure.

"Spyro, we've got something important to discuss," Hugo's gaze turned away from Spyro and towards Chihiro, "We need to figure out where she's going to stay while she's here. Do you have any ideas?"

"I was hoping you'd have thought of that." Spyro turned back to Chihiro and made a toothy frown, "Because I don't really have anything."

Nobody could come up with a suggestion, which lead to just an awkward silence. An awkward silence that was soon interrupted by Hugo as he snapped his fingers together.

"A-ha! I just remembered!" Hugo exclaimed, a smile now on his face.

"Remembered what?" Spyro's eyes trailed towards Hugo.

"Come on, I'll show you—and go get Chihiro, while you're at it."

Spyro shrugged and flew over to the center of the ruins, the place where the Core used to stand. As he looked over the empty space, Spyro felt a pit open up in his heart. The battle that happened what seemed like just days ago flashed back into his mind, and he just sat there, frozen, as the whole battle seemed to reanimate itself—the screams of anger and confusion, the sound of the Core being blasted to bits, the wreckage flying across the island while Spyro himself could only stand, petrified by shock—

"SPYRO!" Chihiro shouted.

This caused Spyro to jump in his place with a shout of surprise, before he fell back down and gave Chihiro an anxious gaze.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Spyro spat as he shook slightly.

"You okay, Spy? You look like you just saw a ghost!" Chihiro chirped as she chuckled and poked his forehead.

"I'm fine, now come on, Hugo wants to show us something." Spyro shook his head and bit his lip just slightly enough to go unnoticed.

Chihiro oohed and jumped in front of Spyro.

"What is it?"

"He's going to show us, now come on."

The two of them then rejoined Hugo, before all three of them nodded and walked off…

§

Hugo lead Chihiro and Spyro through the earthy path before them, while the overgrown trees loomed over them and provided shelter from the cold and chilly moonlight.

It was completely silent until Chihiro finally hummed and cleared her throat.

"What are you showing me, anyway?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head just so.

"You'll see," Hugo said as he gave Chihiro not one glance while they continued their trek through the path.

After that, the only sounds heard were their footsteps and the sound of insects and birds cricketing and cawing throughout the night.

"Are we there yet?" Chihiro asked as she gazed upwards.

But, she found that she could see barely anything and just moved forward.

"Don't even start," Hugo warned as he saw a shimmer of light, smiled and quickly walked towards it.

It was followed by an even brighter light as the trees dissipated, as if they were making way for what was ahead. They were soon lead to a large one-story building made entirely out of stone with a wooden door and a rusty bronze knob that seemed to be covered in cobwebs and dust but was otherwise intact.

"We're here!" Hugo announced as he rushed to the door and jiggled the knob open.

There, they found a humble wooden hallway that was covered in dust, with many, many wooden doors with the same rusty knobs of the house's door. It felt a bit concerning, like a haunted house filled with horrific ghosts, but surely there was nothing of the sort there… Right?

"This used to be a safe house for refugees of the Skylanders," Hugo explained as he adjusted his jacket, "If a prominent villain was chasing someone, we'd take them under our wing and let them stay here until the threat passed,"—Hugo then noticed the dust-covered corridors and coughed awkwardly—"Of course, we haven't had to use it in years, so it might be a bit run-down."

Hugo turned around and found that Chihiro was now gone and one of the doors was wide-open. The rusty knob had fallen off and rolled onto the floor, and dust floated in from the open room.

"Chihiro?" Hugo called as he walked into the room and peered in.

Inside, he found that Chihiro had already settled inside the room—a simple bedroom with tan walls, oakwood floors and a white mattress covered in thick white blankets—and had fallen asleep.

"You must have had a long day." Hugo closed the door and made a kindly chuckle.

Spyro nodded solemnly and they both exited the building before they nodded again and parted ways.

§

As Hugo grew further and further from Spyro's view, Spyro heaved a heavy sigh. The pit in his heart grew deeper as he flew off towards the heart of the island and took care not to lay an eye on the empty spot where the Core of Light used to be. He couldn't feel those awful feelings right now, he had better things he needed to worry about besides himself…

His flight took him to a large, stone tower that he immediately entered. After he entered the tower, he was greeted by a large, empty stone hallway, the coolness of which was emphasized by the autumn weather. As he bit his lip, Spyro flew through the hallway and towards a room on its righthand side.

It was a simple, large room which contained several glowing round objects that were embedded into the floor. Each one glowed with a different color—purple, orange, blue, red, and even more.

Spyro flew over to the purple orb, disregarded those around him and plopped down onto the orb before he was whisked away by the magic sphere. When he reappeared, he was in a large, purple room with lavender crystal walls that seemed to sparkle in the artificial light let out by the violet and hot pink crystal ceiling.

__It's a good thing we were able to get the Sanctuaries set up again, __Spyro thought with an unfaltering gaze, __Even if they aren't as nice as they used to be.__

Normally he'd stop and admire the view, but he was so tired in more ways than one that he just flew across the floor.

His flight lead him to a small cavern with dark purple stone walls and chiseled slate gray stone stairs. At the end of these stairs was a hallway with slate gray stone walls and floors and multiple wooden doors with stone name plates attached to them. The hallway itself was barren, and everything around seemed cold and lifeless.

__Guess the others went to bed already, __Spyro thought as flew towards the rightmost door and opened it.

Inside, it revealed a simple room with a large, straw nest and various assorted objects strewn about. The room he called home was far from fancy, but he kind of liked it that way—something about it was oddly comforting after the hectic chaos of the past several days… Months? Whatever, time conversion was too complicated for Spyro's exhausted brain at the moment.

__I should get some sleep too, __Spyro thought as he walked onto the nest and curled up, __Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll wake up and this'll all be a nightmare.__

And as that thought lingered in his mind, Spyro closed his eyes and fell to slumber…

§

__It was the worst battle Spyro had ever seen.__

__The world around his was set ablaze and the Citadel's front yard burned like a holiday bonfire. All around, the Skylanders were fighting the assorted minions of Kaos, and weren't doing so hot at that. Whenever one minion went down, several others came back in its place and immediately took them all down. Everything was frantic as the Skylanders screamed out and cried for help, the whole battle adorned by the awful scent of blood and smoke mingled together like an awful holiday casserole.__

__Soon, everything was swallowed in an unyielding wave of black!__

__Spyro only watched in horror, completely frozen as he was helpless to stop the eternal black swallow his friends whole.__

"__GILL! TRIG! GUYS!" Spyro screamed as tears stung his eyes while he futilely reached out for the friends that were no more.__

__He then took to the skies and just narrowly avoided being swallowed himself.__

"__The Core!"__

__He flew further and further and occasionally dodged the large black slime that had take over the whole island, his eyes focused on the Core. As he flew over a large glob of black slime, Spyro looked over to find the Core, still shining in all its glory! A bright smile overtook Spyro's face before a large black wave crashed over the Core and uprooted it from its spot! In mere moments, it soon swallowed the Core—and Spyro's hope—completely whole.__

"__NO!" Spyro screamed as he reached out in pain.__

__Just then, the black, slimy wave grabbed his foot. With no other options, Spyro screamed and shouted as he struggled to escape, but the black slime pulled him in, and with one last scream, he was swallowed whole…__

§

Spyro's eyes shot open and he panted, now awakened in such a cold sweat that the world around him seemed unreal and shaky and fake. As he still breathed heavily, Spyro stumbled out of his nest and looked around while he tried to get a grip on reality despite everything around him faded into a blur.

"Okay, Spyro, get a grip on yourself," Spyro said as he took deep breaths, "You're not in the middle of a battle, you're in your room, in the Magic Sanctuary."

Spyro closed his eyes for mere moments, before he inhaled, exhaled and looked around. His head throbbed slightly less than it was before, and his heart pounded slightly less as his vision returned and validated his statements.

"There's no battle going on, you just had a bad dream," Spyro whispered before a thought struck him and his eyes lit up, "If it was all just a dream, then maybe the Core's still there!"

Spyro lowered his volume and flew out of his room. He tried to peer outside, but it was pitch-black and almost impossible to see—it was a good thing that he practically knew the Sanctuary's layout by heart. As he flew through the Sanctuary's halls with a leaping heart, Spyro hunted out the glowing purple teleporter that lead back to the portal room. He then leaped onto it and was whisked away in mere moments…

§

When Spyro opened his eyes, he found himself in a moonlit warp room! Without hesitation he flew through the halls and then back outside, while a complete sense of relief washed over him.

__Thank the Ancients, it was all just an awful dream! Everything's completely fine, we were never banished, and the Core's…__

Spyro's train of thought was cut short by the fact that he had flown outside and the Core most certainly WASN'T there—just a large patch of ground where it once stood.

"Gone," Spyro croaked as tears stung his eyes, "I wasn't dreaming,"—Spyro whimpered as he fell to the ground with utter hopelessness in his eyes—"The Core really was destroyed."

And as the memories from the Core's destruction replayed in his brain, Spyro mustered up the will to walk over to where the Core once stood and flopped down.

"So we really did fail. __I __really failed," Spyro whispered as he burrowed his face into his paws, "The Core's gone and Kaos took over, all because of me."

Spyro tried his hardest to bury his sniffles, but it was no use anymore—the emotions he had been repressing finally coming to light as he cried in utter silence, nobody there to witness but the occasional insect or bird. He didn't know why all these emotions had overtaken him, but it was so strong, so overwhelming that it was like he was fighting against that awful black slime from his prior dream.

Hopeless.

Useless.

Just like he was now.

__Look at you, Spyro, __he thought as he tried desperately to wipe the tears from his face, __How can you sit around and feel sorry for yourself? The Core's been destroyed, thousands of people are suffering, and this is all you can do? You failed! You failed as a leader, as a Skylander, and now everybody's suffering the consequences of your actions! What time do you have to feel sorry for yourself?!__

Spyro then sat back down and quietly cried for what seemed like eternity—at least, until he felt something nudge his back leg. Spyro quickly wiped his tears and looked up to find none other than Chihiro, who looked down at him with a very concerned gaze. Wait, Chihiro?!

Now panicked, Spyro wiped away his tears and sputtered.

"Chihiro, but—I-I-I mean, what, what on Skylands are you mooing—D-DOING up at this hour? I thought you burr—were—"

Spyro heaved a heavy groan, took a deep breath in and looked down at his paws, seemingly uncharacteristically defeated. There was an awkward silence between the two, before Chihiro knelt down to Spyro's height and wiped a small tear from his cheek.

"You okay, Spyro?" Chihiro asked as she gently rubbed his back, "You seem pretty upset."

"It's nothing," Spyro muttered before he raised his voice slightly, "What I'd like to know is why are you here?"

"Well, I was trying to figure out where the kitchen was cause I got late night ice cream cravings, but you're more important." Chihiro bit her lip slightly.

"I'm fi—"

"Uh, uh, uh," Chihiro wagged her finger while her voice possessed just the slightest spark of lightheartedness, "You're all worked up about something and we both know it. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"You know what? I'll go show you the kitchen."

And with that Spyro walked off towards his left, still drained from crying so much.

"You're avoiding the question, Spyro—what's wrong?" Chihiro asked, a tone of impatience in her voice.

Spyro completely ignored her and instead walked up to a large, white stone building with an oakwood door before he opened it and went inside.

"Spyro? Spyro? Spyro?" Chihiro called as she trailed behind him.

"Here's the kitchen, now go get your ice cream," Spyro moaned while he watched as Chihiro shrugged and walked off.

Spyro then sat down on the oakwood floors and looked around the building before him.

It was as large as a small temple, with oakwood floors and walls and a chandelier of lamps that hung overhead and provided them with artificial light. In front of Spyro was a seemingly infinite number of wooden lunch benches with even more wooden chairs next to them, all lined up and ready to house. Fittingly enough for the Skylanders, it could have probably hosted a banquet for a whole army.

But for now, it was just him and Chihiro, completely alone in the emptiness. The sheer silence and slowness of the area made Spyro feel as if his heart was going to collapse again, but why?

"I'm back, Spyro!" Chihiro exclaimed as she sat on the chair nearest to Spyro and slammed a ceramic plate down on the table.

On that plate were two ice cream sandwiches, with the sandwich part made out of chocolate chip cookies and the ice cream itself being a sweet vanilla and covered in sprinkles.

"Come on, sit down. I made one for you too!"

Spyro warily took up her invitation as he sat down next to her, picked up an ice cream sandwich and gave it a critical gaze-over.

"It took me a little bit to navigate through that kitchen, but the ice cream sandwiches were worth it," Chihiro chirped

Spyro nodded and mumbled something under his breath while he eyed the sandwich apathetically.

"It's not poisoned or anything, scout's honor!" Chihiro giggled and twiddled her fingers, "I mean, not that, that even matters since I was never a scout or anything, it's just,"—Chihiro looked down at her own sandwich and grabbed it while her voice turned soft—"You seemed really upset, and I know you don't really wanna talk about it, but I wanna help you out and ice cream always helps me when I'm upset, so—"

"Why are you so worried about me?" Spyro paused and stared at Chihiro.

There was a pause for mere moments before Chihiro made a warm smile.

"Because you're my friend, silly!" Chihiro exclaimed before she took a bite of her sandwich and swallowed, "Of course I'm gonna be worried about you, especially when you were all curled up and crying like you were!"

Spyro jumped in his seat just a little bit before he looked down at the sandwich, then finally mustered up the effort to pick it up and take a bite. The sweetness of the vanilla did make him feel a tiny bit better about the situation, though ice cream wouldn't be enough to cure his woes. As he gulped it down, Spyro turned to Chihiro.

"You don't have to worry about me. I can deal with this by myself."

"A-ha!" Chihiro poked Spyro on the snout, "So there __is __something wrong!"

Spyro gulped, before he hastily finished the sandwich in his paws and pushed Chihiro's arm away.

"Chihiro, even if you are the new portal master, I still barely know you. I'm not just going to spill my guts to somebody I've barely known for a week."

Chihiro gave an aside look and shrugged her shoulders, a bit shocked by his harsh tone. However, her shock lasted for very little as she made an understanding smile and nodded.

"Well, I guess you have a point there." She then finished her own sandwich, licked her fingers clean, and gave Spyro a friendly look, "But, even if you don't wanna talk about it, just know that I'm always here if you need a shoulder to cry on. Or an ice cream sandwich. Or both."

Spyro looked at Chihiro one last time and nodded before he took to the air once more.

"Come on, you need to go back to bed. It's really late, after all." Spyro flapped in place for a few moments before he turned to the door.

"Do I __have __to?"

"__YES__."

"__Fiiiiinnnnneeeee.__"

And with that, Spyro walked Chihiro back to her quarters. As he gazed over her one last time while she merrily skipped along, he felt a slight burden lift off his shoulders.

__That sandwich was pretty good, __Spyro thought as he smiled slightly.

§

"Lord Kaos, Lord Kaos!" shouted a slender drow witch draped in purple robes as she tapped the mechanical communications device on her wrist, "I have some important news for you!"

There was no response at first—just pure static, until a familiarly screechy voice responded from the other side.

"What is it, minion?! Can't you see I'm busy?!" Kaos shrieked from the other side of the device.

"With all due respect, Lord Kaos, I can't really see. This device doesn't have a screen."

Kaos vocally thought this over for a moment, hums and mumbles and all, before he cleared his throat and lowered his tone.

"Good point, minion. NOW WHAT IS IT?!"

"The Skylanders have returned! Two just made off with the Golden Propeller!" The drow reported, pure terror in her voice.

"Wait, they've returned?! But how?!"

"I'm not sure, Lord Kaos, but I have an idea." The drow gulped before her voice turned numb, "There was a little human child running around with them on the island, couldn't be much older than ten or eleven,"—the drow hesitated before she spoke again—"I think they might just be a portal master."

§

"A PORTAL MASTER?!" Kaos shouted, beyond furious and confused.

__How could the Skylanders have found a new portal master, especially one that could've sent them to the Skylands?! __Kaos broiled while his heart pounded so furiously it could've popped right out of his chest, __I thought I sent them to the furthest corners of the universe, where no life could be found?!__

****"****__**I-I-I-I-I-I-I mean, she could've just been a new recruit, or I mean, like, just some random citizen or something, it's very unlikely that—"**__

"If you wish to keep your life, pathetic fool, you'd better pray to your Elven gods that you are wrong! Actually no, I'd still execute you anyway for LETTING THEM GO!" Kaos hissed back from the safety of his portal.

And with the sound of strained sobbing in the background, Kaos ended the communication and sighed. Kaos then sneered as he gripped the stone edges of his portal before he vaulted onto its side. His fear was shed in favor of a pure, malevolent untamed confidence, one only befitting of someone who was quickly rising to the title of Skylands' all-powerful lord.

"If there is a new portal master out there, I will personally make sure that they learn to fear the maleficent, terror-inducing, utterly DOOMTASTIC name of KAAAAAAOOOOOSSSSSSS!"

And with that, Kaos cackled loudly and for as long as he could until he broke into a coughing fit.

"STUPID COUGHING FITS!"

* * *

**Fun fact: The Sanctuaries were taken from the now-defunct Skylanders Lost Islands app! In the game their purpose was never elaborated beyond the fact that putting Skylanders there would give you resources and experience if I recall correctly, but I've always like the headcanon that they acted as something of barracks for the Skylanders!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Fourth chapter incoming! I don't really have any more witty comments to add so...**

**Watch Seeker: Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far! Chihiro's definitely a very fun character for me to write, so I'm glad others enjoy her too!**

* * *

As beams of sunlight filtered into the room Chihiro slept in, she moaned and turned around. Her body was far too exhausted from the escapades of the previous day, and surely five more minutes of sleep could be excused…

_Ugh, getting the golden propeller with the guys was fun 'n all, but I'm TIRREEEEEEDDDDDDDD!_ Chihiro thought as she turned over again, her pillow clutched tightly in a half-asleep daze, _Wait a second, what if it was all a dream?_

"Wake up, Chihiro," said a soft, male voice that faintly echoed around the room.

Chihiro groaned and screwed her eyes further shut. Then with a sigh, she turned until she laid on her back and rubbed her eyes.

"Ugh, Mamoru, I had this weird dream that I got sent to the Skylands, and—"

Chihiro moaned as she sat up and finally urged herself to wake.

But when she opened her eyes, however, she found that it wasn't her brother staring her in the eyes—it was Spyro.

"Chihiro, what are you talking about?" Spyro asked as he tilted his head.

Chihiro blinked for mere moments and then tackle-hugged Spyro to the ground with a grip so tight not even a snake could squeeze out.

"Yes! I knew I wasn't dreaming!" Chihiro shouted, her voice filled with pure, unadulterated glee as a wild grin stretched across her face.

"Chihiro, let, go, kinda, choking, ME!"

Chihiro looked Spyro in the face to find his normally-purple scales had turned a sickly blue and let go, though her legs still pinned him down. She hadn't pinned him down very hard, however, as he wormed his way out from underneath her and sprung up… Which promptly sent Chihiro tumbling backwards and caused her to ram her head into the bedpost.

"I'm okay, I swear." Chihiro moaned as she held her head and stood up, "So, Spyro, there's gonna be another mission, right? Can I come?"

"No," Spyro gave her a scorning stare, "One, you're still not that experienced, two, we can't have you getting killed off when we still need a portal master around, and three, this isn't just some ordinary mission."

Spyro walked down to the stairwell while Chihiro pathetically trailed behind him.

"Isn't some ordinary mission?" Chihiro echoed with a tilt of her head.

"Now that we have the propeller, we have to get the Eternal Air Source back from Kaos. It's far too important to take any chances."

"Fine."

The two of them then left the building and made their way through the forest pathway. Admittedly, it was nice to feel the cool breeze against their face and hear the soft sounds of the birds chirping and flapping in the fresh wind, but it only did a little to diminish the sense of urgency that resonated around Spyro. All was quite for a few moments, before Chihiro gulped and piped up.

"Spyro, what was Master Eon like?"

Spyro stopped in his tracks and winced. In response, Chihiro bit her lip—something told her she asked him a question she really shouldn't have.

"I mean, you don't have to say anything if you don't want—" Chihiro frantically shook her hands before she watched Spyro shake his head.

"Oh no, it's okay!" Spyro gathered himself back together, then rose to the skies and flew down the pathway. He heaved a sigh as his bit his lip slightly and tried to find the words to say, then breathed in again and rose his voice.

"Eon was, well, he was just a really admirable person." Spyro's voice cracked just slightly, "He was really wise and really good at judging situations, and he always seemed to know just what to do. He was kind and he cared a lot about the Skylands, but he wasn't afraid to put his foot down when he needed to, and he, well, he…."—Spyro then grabbed his right front leg with his left as he looked down—"He was the kind of person that anyone would look up to."

_Wow, this Eon guy sounds really cool,_ Chihiro thought as a slight blush dusted her face.

Chihiro looked ahead and noticed Spyro, who just solemnly stared at the ground. A frown twitched across her face as she felt the aura of sheer sorrow that came from his body—he was clearly hiding his feelings.

"Hey, golden boy," Chihiro whispered as she hopped up to Spyro, "Were you and Eon really close?"

Spyro's eyes went wide for a mere moment before his expression faltered and he looked more upset than before.

"I… guess you could say that," Spyro sighed as he stopped in his place, "As Skylanders, we have something of a special bond with our portal masters—Master Eon, well…"—Spyro made a weak chuckle—"It's a little embarrassing to say, but Master Eon was kind of like the father I never had."

Chihiro's expression fully turned to a frown as she saw Spyro paw at the dirt while his wings drooped.

_Wow, no wonder he was upset when he found out that Eon dude died,_ Chihiro pondered, _If my dad died, I'd be really upset too. I wish I could help him, but…_

"Anyways." Spyro flew on ahead the pain in his voice diminished, "We need to get moving. Now that we've got a portal master on our side again, we need to get the portal network back in working order."

"The portal network?" Chihiro bounced up to Spyro's side and leaned in front of him, eyes wide with wonder.

"The portal network. The name speaks for itself—it's a network of portals that we use to send our troops out on missions. And as you can guess…"

"Only a portal master can use it." Chihiro playfully shot a finger-gun at Spyro.

"Ten points." A small smile crept across Spyro's face, and the aura of sorrow and urgency diminished for just a second.

_Guess he's okay for now, _Chihiro thought as relief flooded into her heart, _I just hope it stays that way._

The two of them then looked over and found themselves in the heart of the island. Large stone buildings surrounded them as the heart bustled with activity, and people of all shapes, sizes and species hurried around while they did this and that. It seemed like nobody had a moment to rest!

"Hugo should be waiting for you in there. He'll tell you what to do next." Spyro pointed to a large, stone tower that loomed over the rest of the area.

"Got it, golden boy!" Chihiro exclaimed as she gave Spyro a thumbs up.

Chihiro then ran off to where the tower's door was with a spring in her step and an occasional spin in midair as she darted across the grassy green fields. She was so cheerful, so carefree!

Spyro just intently stared for all of five minutes as Chihiro ran before he flew off with his eyes fixed on the ground. With no attention paid at all, Spyro continued down on his path when he bumped straight into the unsuspecting chest of another person and both parties stumbled down onto the ground.

"Ack!" Spyro exclaimed as he dusted himself off and pushed himself up.

He then found himself staring in the orange eyes of Gill Grunt, who was dusting himself off as well.

"Sorry for running into you, Gill," Spyro apologized as he helped Gill Grunt back up, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Spyro," Gill Grunt replied, a warm smile across his face, "But are you doing alright?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Gill," Spyro denied, even though his sudden look away betrayed his surprise.

"Are you sure?" Gill made an awkward frown, "You look like a crab without a claw!"

"I gotta go." With a turn of his back, Spyro flew off as quickly as he could with not one more word spoken.

§

The minute Chihiro opened the door of the tower, she was greeted by the sound of Hugo's footsteps as he drew closer and closer to her.

"Good morning, Chihiro! Did you sleep well?" Hugo asked as he pulled his jacket further over his body.

"Like a panda after a four-course meal!" Chihiro chirped as she gave him a wide smile, closed her eyes and stretched her arms out wide, "Anyway, where's this portal network I need to fix?"

"Oh, yes, right this way please." Hugo walked down the halls and urged Chihiro to follow him with his hand.

Chihiro obediently trailed after Hugo as he guided her throughout the hallway as they walked through its almost maze-like corridors. It was so long, so repetitive that it seemed like they were walking in circles, and Hugo's ramblings certainly didn't help that effect.

"Master Eon had a whole network of portals that he used to send anyone or anything to wherever necessary. Each portal is enchanted to send its passenger to a certain location in Skylands, and they could all be activated at Eon's beck and call. As you could guess, it was quite useful for sending the Skylanders on missions!"

As Hugo rambled on, Chihiro spaced out and stared at the stone walls. The pathways that followed all started to blend in her mind the further they walked—it almost made he wanna go back to bed and sleep for the rest of the day.

"But unfortunately." Hugo tugged on his lapel, "When Eon died, the portal network was basically shut down. But, now that we've got you, we can hopefully get it working again!"

"Yeah, that's nice and all." Chihiro placed a finger to her cheek in contemplation, "Question is, how do I work this thing?"

"I'll tell you when we get there." Hugo turned around and broke into a smile, "And we're there!"

Chihiro followed Hugo inside the room he was now in and gazed around.

The room itself was a large dome-like room made out of dark blue stone walls and gray stone floors, and inside it were tons of stone portals much like the one that landed in her backyard that fateful day. However, they were much larger, and at the moment were currently dull, gray and clearly inactive. In front of all these portals was an even larger portal that was seemingly twice the size of the others and glowed with a faint pink light that resounded with magic.

"Oooh, what's with that big one?" Chihiro pointed to the large portal that faced off against her and Hugo.

Hugo cleared his throat and looked onward.

"This was Eon's portal, which also happened to be connected to all the portals you see here. All you have to do is activate it, and all the other portals will reactivate!"

"Sounds simple enough!" Chihiro jumped over to where Eon's portal was and gazed it over with an inquisitive look, then smirked and slammed her hands onto the portal's side, "Abracadabra!"

Chihiro looked excitedly at the portal for all of five minutes, as did Hugo until they both realized that the portal hadn't activated at all.

"Shouldn't it be working by now?" Chihiro tilted her head and made a confused frown.

"Are you sure you actually activated it?" Hugo asked with a dry tone.

Chihiro gave him a frustrated shrug.

"I did everything I did when I did it the last time!" Chihiro's voice turned quiet and she awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, "I think."

"Chihiro, casting portals is more than just slamming things and shouting magic words!" Hugo chopped one furry paw against the other as he spoke, "You have to have utmost focus and—"

"Spare me the lecture Huges." Chihiro moaned before she gave the portal an angry look, "If I did it once I can do it again. Now work you stupid thing!"

Chihiro then pounded her fist onto the portal, which wasn't the wisest idea given it was made of stone and all that fun stuff. With a yowl of pain, Chihiro whimpered and rubbed her throbbing hand, before she moaned and face-planted onto the portal's top.

"Bad idea. REALLY bad idea."

"I'll go get an ice pack from the infirmary." Hugo only sighed and rubbed his temples, "Try and see if you can get it working while I'm gone."

Hugo quietly made his leave as Chihiro sat upright and watched her reflection in the portal.

_It was so easy when I did it the first couple times! Why can't I do it now? _Chihiro ran her finger across the portal's surface before she frowned and narrowed her eyes, _Think back, Chihiro. What did you do the last couple times you activated a portal that's missing here?_—Chihiro sucked on her lip as she rubbed her fingers against her chin, now in the deepest amount of thought she could be—_Slammed it? Nah, tried that. Shouting? That too. Magic words? Been there, done that, got the t-shirt._

Just then, while she lost herself in her thoughts to the point where it exhausted every last drop of her energy, a thought struck Chihiro and her eyes went wide.

"Now I remember!" Chihiro hopped off the portal and grasped its rim with her hands. Once she had a firm grasp, she closed her eyes gently and breathed in deep.

_Now, Chihiro, focus. Remember what you want it to do._

Her mind meditated on one singular thought—an open portal that shone with the colors of the rainbow in bold, brilliant light. A portal that brimmed with so much magic, it could probably power an entire city twenty times over and then some! As this thought stuck to her head like fresh gum, she felt a powerful magic course through her veins as cherry red blood did.

NOW!

"Portal, open!"

As her hands flew off the rim, Chihiro watched as the portal continued to stagnant and remain a dull, defeated gray in color and sighed.

"Did it not work?"

Just then, a pale blue flash emitted from the portal!

Chihiro squeaked and jumped back as the light got intenser before a bright flash of light emerged from the portal and engulfed the entire room.

"Chihiro, I got the ice pack—HOLY ANCIENTS ALMIGHTY!" Hugo screamed as he dropped the fabric ice pack in his furry hands and watched the show evolve before him.

The portals that hid behind Eon's portal shone brightly in a brilliant blue and lit up one-by-one in each row. It felt like the opening to a concert with all the shining lights, almost as if the entire stage was anticipating its star's arrival. In that same moment, as if the show's star had made their arrival, bright blue beams of light shot from the portals alongside loud screeches!

With an eager smile, Chihiro turned back to Hugo and gave him a thumbs up. Hugo's worried look then turned into a wide smile as he came to realize what Chihiro had done before he rushed off.

"I'll get the Skylanders!"

And as Hugo ran off, Chihiro looked back to the network of portals. The lights had dulled and shone gently across the room, which lit it a pale shade of blue so serene and comforting it made her heart melt into the day.

_Yeah, I'd say that was pretty impressive._

§

Several minutes later, Hugo stumbled back into the portal room while a small crowd of creatures in all shapes, sizes and species followed behind him. All sorts of chatter came from the crowd as Hugo turned around and looked them in the eye, then caught his breath for a few moments. After his bearings had been gathered, Hugo tried his best to look at serious as possible and cleared his throat.

"Alright! Now that our portal network is back in working order thanks to Young Master Chihiro…" Hugo proclaimed as he gestured towards Chihiro.

Chihiro turned around and waved at the Skylanders with a big, goofy grin plastered onto her face.

"It's time to start up our daily patrols!"

Cheers, whoops, hollers and all kinds of happy noises were heard from the crowd.

"QUIET, PLEASE!" Hugo clapped his hands and in response the crowd quickly silenced themselves.

When they were completely quiet, and all that was left was the white noise of the portals' whirrs, Hugo pulled a paper list from an inner pocket in his jacket and cleared his throat once more.

"For the first patrol, we have eggs, butter, milk, sugar, apples…"

As Hugo dragged on, everybody else in the room gave him a confused look.

"Huges, you might wanna double-check that list you've got," Chihiro remarked as she nudged his shoulder and caught his attention.

Hugo gave her a stern stare before he looked down at the list and read it over for a few moments.

"Wait a second…" Hugo proceeded to slap his forehead with his paw, "This is my shopping list from last week! Why do I still have this?"—Hugo put the list away, pulled out another, identical list from his other pocket and cleared his throat for the third time that morning—"Now, this is the list I was looking for! First off—Whirlwind, Warnado, and Jet-Vac—"

"Actually," piped up a deep, gruff voice from the crowd, "Jet-Vac isn't here."

"He isn't?"

Mumbling was heard among the crowd before they all nodded simultaneously in agreement.

"For that matter, we're missing a lot of people—Pop Fizz, Chill, Star Strike—"

"Okay, I understand, we're a little short-staffed." Hugo bore an awfully forced smile, "But that shouldn't stop us from getting these mission done. We'll just have to work extra-hard!"

Hugo wrung his paws and crumpled the list before he realized what he was doing and squeaked. While he giggled, Hugo tried his hardest to regain his composure as he straightened out the list and read from it once more.

"Anyway, Whirlwind and Warnado will be headed to the Stormy Stronghold to regain the Eternal Air Source," Hugo said with a barely-repressed trill, "Due to the nature of the storms there we won't be able to send a portal out, so Flynn will have to take them."

And out of the crowd stepped Whirlwind, a dull blue-colored air dragoness with feathery wings, ears, and tail, blue eyes and a cream-colored horn, and Warnado, a cyan colored turtle with a mint green spiky shell, a mint green spike on his nose and crimson-colored eyes. The two of them emerged from the crowd with an air of cool silence before they stood next to Chihiro.

"Good luck!" Chihiro whispered as she gave them a wide, genuinely excited smile.

Whirlwind turned to Chihiro with a smile before she gently nudged Chihiro in the shoulder with her head. Chihiro then giggled and turned around.

"Now, Gill Grunt, Terrafin, and Stump Smash." Hugo motioned for them to come forward, "You are to return to Shattered Island to help with the relief effort—mostly rebuilding structures that were destroyed by the tornadoes."

As the three of them pushed their way to the front, Hugo lead them over to a portal that shimmered with a pale white light while Chihiro tailed behind them with curiosity in her chestnut eyes.

"Chihiro," Hugo prompted as he turned around and looked her straight in the eye, "Will you please?"

Chihiro awkwardly turned away from Hugo's line of sight and bit her lip as she approached the portal.

"Remember, Chihiro," she whispered as she placed her hands on the portal and grasped its stone rim, "Just focus. You can do this."

As she breathed in, Chihiro gently closed her eyes and focused, then her heart pounded as she flung her arms up and a bright flash of light emitted from the portal. This flash of light died after mere moments, and the portal now reflected an image of an island covered in rubble and debris. This island was covered with various mabu in white and red robes and construction worker outfits that moved piles of the debris out of sight with the utmost of care and strength.

"Gill, Fin, Stumps, there's a portal to Shattered Island with your names on it." Chihiro bowed in a gentlemanly manner and winked.

Gill Grunt chuckled, gently ruffled Chihiro's hair then jumped onto the portal and was whisked off. As Terrafin and Stump Smash followed him and were quickly whisked away by the portal, Chihiro stood up straight and clasped her hands into fists.

"That wasn't too tough! Who's next on the list, Huges?" Chihiro turned next to Hugo.

Hugo smiled and managed a slight chuckled.

"Well, let's see…"

§

Outside, Flynn toiled away in the cold autumn breeze and worked hard to attach the propeller to his balloon. He was awfully diligent, with his focus so fixed on the beloved machine.

Spyro, meanwhile, had just walked back in from whatever task he had been doing earlier and was greeted with complete silence, save for the sound of Flynn's hammer pounding away.

"Where did everybody go?" Spyro asked aloud as he looked over the eerily-vacant hub with concern.

"Missions," remarked a soft, gentle voice akin to the sound of whistling wind, "Chihiro finally got the portal network up-and-running, so everybody's been going on patrols."

Spyro whipped his head left and right and tried his hardest to find out who the voice belonged to before he looked in front of him to find Whirlwind approaching him with Warnado by her side.

"Whirlwind!" Spyro looked her in the face and made a toothy grin, "What are you doing here?"

"We were assigned to get the Air Source back." Whirlwind's tone serious and to-the-point as she stood tall, "That is, once Flynn finishes his repairs."

The three of them all looked at Flynn, who was still toiling away on his balloon, then looked back at each other and gulped.

"Good luck."

"We'll need it." Whirlwind gently nudged Spyro in the shoulder, "Anyways, you should probably get to the portal room. I'm sure there's some kind of mission needing your attention."

Spyro nodded quietly and flew off in a hurry while Whirlwind and Warnado looked at each other.

"So, when do you think we're gonna shove off?" Warnado asked as he turned to Whirlwind.

"Hey!" Flynn shouted from across the fields as he turned around, "There you are, and just in time too!"—As he met them where they stood, Flynn cleared his throat—"I, the dashing, courageous, and not to mention popular with the ladies Captain Flynn…"

Whirlwind playfully rolled her eyes.

"Have finished making my balloon awesome enough to be worthy of an equally-awesome pilot!" Flynn grabbed Whirlwind and Warnado's paws and dragged them over to where his balloon sat. As he let go of their paws and stretched his arms wide, Flynn took a deep breath.

"Look at her, she's got a fuel-injected croc-a-tron, a vacuum seal-a-tron, jet-steamed thrusters, electro-stabilizers, magneto-flappers—"

"So the point is, you're done upgrading and ready to go hunting for the Eternal Air Source?" Whirlwind watched Flynn nod eagerly.

"I'll tell you about all the other cool features later." Flynn snapped his fingers and a part of his balloon swung open in tandem, "Just like the new sound-activated door I installed!"

Whirlwind and Warnado both oohed and aahed.

"I'll admit, that's pretty cool." Whirlwind nodded as if to affirm her statement.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Ready to help Skylands' best pilot save the Eternal Air Source?" Flynn turned back to Whirlwind and Warnado and adjusted his scarf.

"Of course." Whirlwind chuckled and rolled her eyes.

And with that, all three of them piled into the balloon. The door on it swung shut soon after, and they all flew off, their hearts focused on the mission in store…

§

"And that should be the last one!" Chihiro exclaimed as she wiped her forehead and watched the last patrol group get whisked away, "At least, I THINK that's the last group."

Chihiro turned back to Hugo and gave him a prompting look, while he nodded and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Y'know, Huges," Chihiro chirped, a happy smile on her face, "You really know how to handle yourself in front of a crowd. With how feeble and anxious you are, I wasn't sure if you'd be able to handle the pressure!"

Hugo just gave Chihiro a look that mixed both confusion and indignity.

"I'm not sure if I should take that as an insult or a complement," Hugo remarked.

"Hugo!" Spyro called from the doorway, "What'd you need me for?"

This earned Hugo's attention as he recomposed himself, turned around and met Spyro at eye level.

"Spyro!" Hugo shouted before he cleared his throat, "You, actually, were among the Skylanders assigned to stay here and guard the island in case Kaos came calling again!"

"So all I really need to do is stay here and watch the place?" Spyro looked over Hugo and tilted his head.

"Exactly."

Chihiro's eyes lit up and she looked directly at Spyro.

"Wait, Spyro," Chihiro said with excitement in her eyes, "If you're not doing anything, do you think you could show me around the island? Pleasepleasepleaseplease—"

Chihiro bowed down, clasped her hands together and shook them pleadingly when she was grabbed by the back of her shirt and drawn back by Hugo.

"Young Master Chihiro, you can't go wandering off all haphazardly! You need to stay here in case we need you to—"

"Actually." Spyro broke in and held out a paw, "I wouldn't mind showing her around. After all, if she's going to be our new portal master, she'll need to know her way around, and by showing her around I'd be able to patrol the entire island. It's a win-win."

Hugo pondered this for a while before he sighed.

"Well, I guess if you think it's alright," Hugo conceded as he let go of Chihiro.

Chihiro inhaled sharply and gave Spyro the most excited look she could muster before she bounced up and hugged Spyro tightly.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU—"

"Chihiro, please, you're, kinda, CHOKING!" Spyro wheezed between desperate gasps for air and tried desperately to pry Chihiro's arms from his body, but it was no use—her death grip was far too tight.

As she felt something dig into her arms, Chihiro saw the breathless look on his face and carefully let him go with an awkward chuckle.

Spyro breathed in and out and finally caught his breath, then cleared his throat and looked back at Chihiro with the most serious gaze.

"Now, stay with me and don't go running off, alright?"

"Alright!"

While the two of them bounded out of the portal room, Hugo watched them leave with an attentive gaze. He then sighed and pulled a book out of his jacket's lapel once he was sure they were out of sight before he ran his furry paw against its leather cover.

"I don't know what we're going to do. Kaos has us completely outnumbered, and he's already conquered most of Skylands. Even with a new portal master and most of the Skylanders back, I don't think there's any way we could stop him," Hugo croaked as tears started to fall down his cheeks and he hugged the book tightly, "I wish you were still here, Master Eon."

§

"So, Spyro, where does the tour de Eon's island start?" Chihiro asked as she stretched her arms to the clear skies.

"Right here, actually!" Spyro announced as he stretched out a leg and presented the island's heart to her, "You've already been to the heart of the island, which is the essential first stop while you're staying here. From here, you can get to almost everywhere else!"

Chihiro then gazed around the hub, her eyes amazed at all the tall stone buildings that surrounded them and the crowd of creatures that bustled through while they worked on day-to-day activities. Even with a population so small, it seemed so busy and full of life, just like home!

"On the far left is the Mess Hall." Spyro pointed to a large, white stone building shaped like a dome. "That's where we eat, obviously, and it's got enough food to feed an army! Which is, kind of necessary given how many people stay here. We've already been there once, so I'm not gonna talk about it too much."

"We have?" Chihiro tilted her head as she walked in front of Spyro.

"Yes, last night. Remember?" Spyro gave her a slightly unnerved look, "You made me take you there because you had late night snack cravings?"

"Oh!" Chihiro gave Spyro a cheerful smile, completely ignorant to the sigh he breathed, "Yeah, I remember that!"

"Anyway." Spyro regained his composure and coughed into his paw, "Right next to that is Eon's Citadel,"—Spyro then pointed to a large, worn tower made out of salmon-colored bricks and a spring green roof, with a huge, gaping hole in the front where an entrance should've been—"At least, what USED to be Eon's Citadel. That was where Master Eon lived while he was still with us."

Spyro's voice faltered as he looked back down at his paws and gently nudged at the dirt underneath him.

"I guess nobody's really had the time to fix it?" Chihiro cast Spyro a glance and watched as he nodded sadly—but she didn't let that dampen her mood.

"Well, I'm gonna check it out, bye!"

Chihiro stood around for only a second, then spun around and darted off in the Citadel's direction without a second thought.

"HEY! CHIHIRO! GET BACK HERE, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO STAY WITH ME!"

§

Whirlwind bit her lip as she looked out the side of the balloon, her front paws clutched ever so tightly the side of the basket, like the slightly release would send her spiraling down the endless blue skies.

"Something up, Whirlybird?" Warnado asked as he gently patted Whirlwind on the back.

Whirlwind jumped in place and turned around.

"Warnado! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She scolded.

Warnado quickly scrambled away from Whirlwind with an almost fearful kind of tension, only to release this tension as Whirlwind breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry for snapping, Warnado. I'm fine, don't worry about me." Whirlwind's voice turned somewhat pained as she looked back over the side of the basket.

Warnado seemed to ponder something as he gave Whirlwind a suspicious, cocked-eye look. After a few moments of staring, Warnado shrugged, withdrew into his shell and contently snored while his shell was more than happy to amplify the acoustics of his snoring.

Whirlwind frowned a bit as she stared at the passing clouds and tried her hardest to block out Warnado's snoring. Ever since she stepped into Flynn's basket she had been irate and moody, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was the pressure of the mission or the usual safety concerns that came with flying on Flynn's balloon. Maybe it was a little bit of both, who knew? Certainly not her.

"Attention passengers, this is your absolutely dashing Captain Flynn speaking," Flynn crooned, a smug smile on his face like always, "We appear to have reached our destination, so—HOLY ENCHILADAS LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT TORNADO!"

"WHAT?!" Whirlwind and Warnado shouted in unison as they popped out of their minds.

They both ran over to where Flynn was piloting to find a huge, powerful tornado! It had to have been twice the size of Master Eon's citadel, maybe even more than that, and its winds howled so loudly that not even the loudest noise one could think of could drown it out.

"Whoa! That's some twister!" Warnado shouted while his eyes grew wide as dinner plates.

"That's not a twister, that's a tornado," Whirlwind replied as she gave him a dark, correcting look.

"Whirlwind, they're the same thing!"

"No they aren't, there's a clear difference in intent when someone said 'tornado' versus when they say 'twister,' it's really—"

"Whirlwind, I'm the tornado expert here, don't argue with me on this, they mean exactly—"

Both of them were quickly snapped out of their argument as a strong gust of wind sent them tumbling away and caused them and Flynn to be tossed along with the balloon. As the balloon was blown to what could only be the eye of the storm, Whirlwind shook her head and gave Flynn an enraged glare.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Flynn exclaimed as he gave her a helpless stare, "THESE TWISTERS—"

"TORNADOES!" Whirlwind shot back.

Flynn quickly shook his head, stood tall and immediately went back to pressing buttons and flipping switches on the balloons control panel. He sweated out buckets as he worked, and for a moment his best pilot facade melted into the winds.

"Potato, potatoh, right now I need to figure out how I'm gonna get outta this storm!" Flynn exclaimed as he looked more genuinely nervous than anyone had even seem him in their lives.

As he flicked an ominous-looking red switch on the panel, Flynn clasped his sweaty hands onto the balloon's steering wheel. As he clutched the wheel as hard as he could, the propeller started spinning even faster than before!

"BRACE YOURSELVES FOR IMPACT!"

The balloon darted away at the speed of light as Flynn wove through the seemingly endless fields of huge tornadoes. The wind was howling at their backs, lashed against the side of the balloon like whips and tried its hardest to tear the balloon to bits! It was anybody's worst nightmare!

Meanwhile, Whirlwind and Warnado had completely forgotten about their conflict and were now clinging to the basket like their lives depended on it—which it kinda did, to be honest.

With heavy breaths, Flynn's eyes narrowed as he focused on his target—a large, stone platform seemingly untouched by the storms, for it stood strong even throughout the raging winds. Flynn pushed the wheel forward and sent the balloon into overdrive! He beelined towards the platform with completely shut eyes as he braced himself for the landing.

Whirlwind and Warnado both peered up from the bottom of the basket, saw what they were heading towards at high speed, then immediately ducked back down and covered their heads.

And as the platform got closer and closer, they all started screaming.

You'd scream too, if you were barreling towards a heavy stone platform in a field of tornadoes.

As he gulped in, Flynn flew upwards just slightly and barreled headfirst onto the platform! The basket skid along while sparks crackled from the basket's bottom due to the tension. Then, Flynn receded the steering wheel and brought the balloon to a halt, while Whirlwind and Warnado shakily stood up.

"We made it," Flynn gasped before his shocked look turned to a smile and he pumped his fist in the air, "WE MADE IT!"

"I have to admit, you really pulled through Flynn! For a moment, I thought we weren't going to make it!" Whirlwind said as she dusted herself off and smiled directly at Flynn.

"Of course! I'm the absolute best pilot in all of Skylands! Was there ever any doubt?" Flynn chuckled and rubbed his fist against his broad chest.

Whirlwind and Warnado both gave each other aside glances and awkward smiles before they coughed into their paws.

"Let's agree to spare his feelings this time," Warnado whispered through clenched teeth to Whirlwind before he watched as she nodded in agreement.

"Anyways." Flynn stretched and turned around, "All we gotta do is find this Eternal Air Source thingie and—YOWZA! THAT'S TWISTER'S HUGE!"

Whirlwind and Warnado both whipped their heads around to find that right next to them was a humongous, barely-contained tornado that was probably twice the size of the ones they had faced earlier. Its winds roared like dragons, and all sorts of things were caught in its grasp—chunks of buildings, wooden carts, even the occasional sheep that baaed for mercy as it was swung about in the storm.

"That thing's huge!" exclaimed Warnado.

But, Whirlwind paid only half a thought to the tornado as she looked aside and placed a paw on her chin.

"Now, if I were Kaos, where would I hide one of the main sources of elemental power and one of the few things keeping my enemies from bringing about my ultimate downfall?" Whirlwind pondered as she frowned and sternly examined the area around her.

She then pointed towards a large castle that was just straight across from them on an isolated island that was seemingly inaccessible.

"How about… There!"

Warnado and Flynn squinted and tried their hardest to get a better view of the island while Whirlwind nodded.

"And what gives you that idea?" Warnado asked.

"If there's one thing we all know about Kaos." Whirlwind sneered, "It's that his pride is his greatest weakness. I wouldn't put it above him to showcase the Air Source in a big fancy castle so he could brag about it."

Both of them nodded and muttered.

"Yeah, that sounds like Kaos."

"Yup, Baldy wouldn't really be above that."

"Now the question is," Whirlwind asked as she stretched her front paw against her chin, "How do we get there?"

Flynn examined the tornado for mere minutes before he looked over and saw an extended part of the pathway that seemed to have been broken off. He then pressed a fist against his chin and thought for mere moments, the gears furiously a'turn in his mind before it finally clicked.

"Guys, guys," Flynn said as he nudged Whirlwind and Warnado's shoulders, "Take a look at the tornado!"

All of them looked at the tornado, with Whirlwind and Warnado looking more confused to contrast Flynn's energy.

"What's so different about it? All I see are wooden planks, sheep, bridge pieces—" Whirlwind was quickly cut off as Flynn threw an arm across her face in excitement.

"That's it! See that broken off part of the path over there?" Flynn pointed at the broken-off pathway.

"Yes?…" Whirlwind gave him a realizing stare, "Are you saying that there's supposed to be a bridge here?"

"Exactly! You're almost as much of a genius as I am. ALMOST."

Whirlwind just glared down Flynn, but once again he was completely oblivious.

"Now, as an expert, I can safely say that if we were to stop the tornado, the bridge would fall back into place and we'd be able to get that Eternal Source thingamabob!"

"I'm not so sure, Flynn." Whirlwind frowned as she gaze over the tornado, "First off, how do we stop a twenty foot or higher tornado, anyway? And how do we know that the bridge pieces won't crumble immediately, or fall out of reach?"

"Do you have any better ideas?" Warnado asked as he nudged next to Whirlwind.

"No," Whirlwind admitted.

Her mind still racked with thoughts, Whirlwind stretched her legs when she heard a clank and whipped her head to the right. She immediately noticed something ahead—a drow soldier clad in gray and red armor who was sneaking a peek at the group—and narrowed her eyes.

"Skylanders!" Exclaimed the soldier, "I have to go warn the captain!"

"Not on my watch you don't!" Whirlwind shouted as she vaulted over the balloon's basket and chased after the soldier at lightning-fast speeds.

"Whirlwind! Wait up!" Warnado immediately shouted as he conjured up a tornado of his own and sped after her.

Flynn just looked at them and shrugged.

"I'll just stay here and make sure the tornado doesn't fly away!" Flynn said then smirked as he said, "After all, I don't wanna steal the thunder from up-and-coming heroes. If I joined in, the whole mission would be over in an instant!"

Flynn smiled to himself and hummed a tune as he kept a fixed eye on the tornado.

§

The drow soldier ran as far as he could. In fact, he had ran so far that he had gotten to near the end of the pathway, a distance so far that he likely felt comfortable enough to catch a breath.

"Hah… hah… I think I… finally lost them…" the soldier panted, his back bent over and his hands on his knees.

The sounds of pattering feet and rippling winds quickly caused the soldier to jolt back to life, however.

"And where do you think you're going?" Whirlwind asked as she bowed down and flared her wings.

The drow soldier jumped up and scrambled to escape. But he was out of luck, for every which way he turned there was nothing but blank paths and blocked off walls!

"Nowhere you're following!" The soldier sprinted forwards with all his energy, as if he was hoping to find some more luck if he retraced his steps.

"Get him!"

Whirlwind and Warnado followed him in hot pursuit—after all, Skylanders don't give up that easily! The chase dragging on for what seemed like hours as they navigated pathway after pathway, jumped over wall after wall, until they all reached a stopping point—a large stone wall that the soldier could never dream of climbing.

"You're cornered, spear-ears," Warnado hissed, the rippling winds around him seemingly bent to his power, "Ready to give in?"

The soldier turned back and forth in anxiety, before he froze in place as if he had been hit by realization.

"Not yet!" The soldier exclaimed before he whistle underneath his mask, "COME ON OUT, BOYS!"

Then, a group of at least seven other drow soldier all identical to the one Whirlwind and Warnado had been chasing all leaped over the stone wall and circled around the original drow soldier! They all brandished shiny, sharp silver spears and intimidating looks, the venom in their stare felt by everyone around.

"Now would you look at that?" Sneered one of the soldiers up front, "Skylanders! In our humble little fortress—Lord Kaos would surely be pleased with me if I brought some back to him!"

"Really?" Whirlwind questioned, a dark look on her face as she flared her wings and her horn began to glow in all sorts of colors.

"Really."

Everyone around gave each other dark stares and took battle stances.

"Let's dance, spear-ears."

Warnado retraced into his shell and spun straight into the crowd of soldiers, which sent them flying before they even had a chance to react! The survivors tried to stagger up and get out of the way, but it was no use—Warnado was far too fast for them to safely evade! Or anyone else for that matter.

"Hey, Warnado, look out!" Whirlwind exclaimed as she just barely scampered out of Warnado's path of destruction!

The clamor Warnado caused was now a perfect distraction! The drow soldier Whirlwind was talking to earlier straightened his spear and charged after Whirlwind. However, Whirlwind was too alert for his tricks! She spun out of the way and kept doing so every time he struck, until she finally saw an opening as he relaxed his grip for a moment. She then shot the spear out of his hand with a brilliant rainbow beam.

As the weapon shot out of the soldier's aching hand and slid across the bridge before it finally clanged onto the bricks, he shook his hand with a pained yowl. As he looked down at his aching hands, he eyes widened the moment he realized that his spear was missing. He was about to race off and grab it, but Whirlwind beat him to the punch—she ran over, stepped on the spear, and shot him in the chest with another rainbow beam! Whirlwind gave a triumphant gaze as the drow soldier skidded across the bridge and fell unconscious. Whirlwind then smiled and turned around to face Warnado.

Warnado, meanwhile, carelessly spun tornadoes around, tornadoes filled to their brims with drow soldiers that were sent off the bridge and onto a small island underneath them!

As the last tornado fell off, Whirlwind and Warnado both nodded in unison, flew over the wall and continued on their journey…

§

Chihiro hummed a song to herself as she paraded onward, occasionally stopping to take in the sights and sounds of the area around her.

Currently, she was inside a room with crimson-colored walls and various wooden bookshelves filled to their brim with books of all kinds scattered around the room. In the center of the room was a round wooden chair with several blue cushions glued onto it and round wheels attached to its end, though right now it couldn't be sat in as it was covered in rocks and debris from the battle. The same could be said for the wooden sitting table in front of it, which was also covered in piles of stone and dust. Across from the display an unlit brick fireplace rested, dust and rocks covering the place where the fire should have been.

"This place sure is a dump," Chihiro remarked as she spun around and walked over towards an open door to her righthand side, "I'm sure it was pretty cozy back before the battle, though."

As she peered into the hallway, she found that the lights were all off and the hallway was covered in a blanket of darkness, a blanket so dark one could only barely make out the wooden floors and stone walls.

"Now I wonder what's down here?" Chihiro whipped her head left and right and then hopped inside.

As she walked through, however, she found that she could barely navigate through the darkness and ended up bumping in what seemed to be a side-table.

"OWCH!" Chihiro rubbed her aching elbow as something rolled off of the table and fell onto her foot, "DOUBLE OWCH!"

Chihiro whimpered and tried to fight back tears as she bent down and picked up the object that had landed on her—a small, round lantern!

"Wow, that's oddly convenient." Chihiro examined the lantern with a piqued curiosity, "Now how do you turn it on?"

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro shouted as the sound of his wing flaps echoed through the hallway, then sat down and panted before he looked up at her and frowned deeply, "Don't run off like that!"

Chihiro, however, paid no mind to his words—she was far more concerned with the lantern she had found.

"Do you know how to turn this on?" She asked as she practically flung the lantern in his face.

"Ah, uh," Spyro sputtered before he shook his head, "Wait, how would I know?!"

As if by magic (Which it probably was), the lantern lit up with a brilliant yellow and orange flame!

Chihiro giggled as she held the lantern out in front of her and basked in its light.

"Wanna go spelunking, golden boy?" Chihiro asked, a light twinkled in her eyes that was only amplified by the flames of the lantern.

Spyro sighed and looked down at the path before him.

"I dunno, Chihiro, I've never been in that part of Master Eon's Citadel befo—"

Spyro was cut off by a sudden yank as Chihiro grabbed him and ran down the hallway.

"I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES!"

The hallway seemed to span on forever as they ran, the stone walls and wooden floors all blended into one as Chihiro grew exhausted from boredom. When she finally came to a stop, they were surrounded by new scenery at last—three round, wooden doors fixed in front of a white stone wall.

"Now, which one should I take?" Chihiro asked herself before she looked at the leftmost door and jiggled its sleek brown doorknob—then watched as the door immediately opened with a creak!

Chihiro let out a cheery squeak as she looked down at Spyro with a mischievous smile before she ran off, while Spyro only sighed and quickly flew after her.

§

Whirlwind and Warnado, meanwhile, were both still on the hunt for as way to get the tornado out of the way, and so far, their journey was far from fruitful.

"You think this'll actually work?" Warnado asked Whirlwind.

Whirlwind shrugged and gave him a frown.

"I don't know," Whirlwind muttered as she looked back down at her paws, "After all, we have barely anything to go on—just a wild guess from Flynn, of all people!

And if he's wrong, then what are we gonna do? There's no way to take down this tornado—"

"That's what you think," said a voice behind Whirlwind and Warnado.

The two of them shook their heads and turned around to find two drow guards dress in red and gold armor! The two soldiers leaned up against a giant, shiny golden pylon that was probably about the height of a short tower.

"But we would never tell you that this pylon settles the storm if it's lowered," said the first guard.

"Yeah, we never would, and we never will!" shouted the second guard.

Whirlwind and Warnado gave them blank looks, before Warnado burst into laughter. Whirlwind herself couldn't help but make a soft chuckle that she masked with her paw.

"Dude, you already told us!" Warnado shouted between bellowing laughs.

The two guards panicked and sputtered out nonsense as they glared down each other before they brandished shiny, sharp golden spears in Whirlwind and Warnado's direction.

"Well then, we can't have you going around blabbing our secret now, can we?" The guards remarked in unison.

Whirlwind and Warnado both nodded to each other and quickly took battle stances! They stood strong and spread out wide, as if to make themselves seem like the most powerful things in the entire area.

The guards, meanwhile, gripped their spears tight and prepared to charge.

Whirlwind started the battle with rapid-fire rainbows shots from her horn aimed at one of the guards! The rainbows caught him in an eye-searing light and caused the guards to stumble backwards out of shock.

When the light faded, the guards both looked at each other, then themselves, only for the first guard screamed in shock—as his entire body had changed color to a bright, fluorescent neon rainbow! He stared down at himself in shock as the other guard laughed it off before he shot his fellow guard a glare.

"Don't just stand there and laugh at me!" The multi-color guard scolded, "Stop the Sky—"

He never completed his sentence, because Warnado had created a tornado that consumed the two and sent them flying away.

Whirlwind held up her wing and slapped it against Warnado's paw proudly. She then walked over to where the guards were standing and examined the pylon they were guarding.

It was probably very resilient given that it was able to stand the raging winds of the tornado, and something about it resonated with some kind of enchantment Whirlwind could feel in her bones.

"Now, let's see if those guards were telling the truth," Whirlwind said as she held her paw against the pylon.

It was all consistently shiny and smooth until she felt a small button under her paw and pressed it.

It didn't seem to work at first, but slowly, the pylon began descending and descending! Its slows, repetitive motions almost hypnotized those around before finally it finally set itself at the bottom.

Whirlwind opened her eyes and looked out at the tornado, before she smiled like a fool since she knew it had worked!

The tornado had shrunken at least a few feet, and a piece of the bridge fell out of its winds and safely onto the beginning of the bridge!

"Yes!" Whirlwind threw her paw into the air, "One step closer to getting the Eternal Air Source!"—She turned towards Warnado and smiled widely—"Come on, Warnado! This tornado's not going to clear itself! Let's see if we can find more of those pylons!"

And with that said, Whirlwind took to the skies and lead the way ahead while Warnado quickly followed suit.

§

Chihiro roamed the ruins of Eon's Citadel, her heart a'pound with excitement as she bounced from place to place. Each room seemed to carry some kind of mystic air about it, like a magic long untouched and waiting to be rediscovered. At least, it would be if half of it wasn't covered in rubble.

"This place really took a beating, didn't it?" Chihiro remarked as she moved the lantern around in front of her to illuminate the path.

"Yeah, no kidding," Spyro added as he looked around, "This area must have taken a lot of damage from when Kaos attacked,"—Spyro looked down at the pathway before him—"Say, where are we going, anyways?"

This path had split down into several other pathways, each one brimmed with mystery.

Chihiro stopped and placed the lantern by her feet, then rubbed her fist against her lips as she tried to decipher which of the paths in front of her should be next on the tour. There were about three in all, each seemingly identical aside from direction, but none seemed to truly peek her attention. Chihiro sighed as she plopped down on the floor and crossed her legs as she sat, still trying to brainstorm where to go.

"I dunno." Chihiro rubbed her hand against her chin, "Why don't you pick, Spyro?"

Spyro frowned discerningly as his eyes glazed over the paths before them when he heard what sounded like a rumbling noise.

"Do you hear that?" Chihiro asked as she shook her head and looked up the ceiling.

Spyro nodded rapidly before a giant slab of stone slammed down from the ceiling just inches from where they were! Both of them then screamed as they jumped out of the way while the ceiling caved in around them!

As more slabs fell down, Chihiro froze for a moment before her instincts took a hold of her. She grabbed Spyro and pushed him down the middle pathway, which from her gaze seemed to be the most stable. Without a moment to hesitate, she then raced down the leftmost one, lantern in hand, as the ceiling caved in and sealed the entrance behind her.

She moved deeper and deeper into the Citadel until the rumbling quieted and pebbles stopped dropping everywhere she stepped. After she turned around to find complete darkness in the hallways aside from her lantern, Chihiro heaved a sigh of relief and sat down.

"I think I got out of there," Chihiro wheezed as she felt slight relief fall over her, before her mind came to one thought and stopped.

"SPYRO! Oh no, I lost him!" Chihiro panicked as she grabbed her lantern and ran.

"He's gonna kill me for completely abandoning him! If he's even still alive! What am I gonna do?!"

§

Spyro, meanwhile, hit his head as he fell to the floor. As he stood and came to his senses, he noticed that he was enveloped in complete darkness and snapped his claws. A sphere of bright light formed in his paw and then immediately flew towards the sealed entrance.

"Geez, I didn't expect it to be that run-down," Spyro remarked, before his mind shut him down with one realization.

He was alone.

Oh no.

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro exclaimed as his whole body trembled from raw fear.

Spyro raced over towards the stone and pried them away, but to no avail—they were too big, and he was too small. He then clenched his jaw as his eyes flashed brown, his entire mind focused on moving the stones. However, that didn't work either—they were still too big, and his mind was too unfocused.

"CHIHIRO! ARE YOU THERE?!" Spyro's heart pounded so fast that it could burst and he pounded a clenched paw against the rocks, "ANSWER ME!"

No response.

"Oh no, no, not again," Spyro's breath turned fast and then slow,"Calm down Spyro, panicking won't help the situation any better. Just gotta focus,"—Spyro gnawed on a claw as his mind raced—"Right now, just focus on finding another way to her. If she's still alive…"

And with that, Spyro flew down the pathway as fast as he could, his sphere of light behind him ever so diligently.

§

Whirlwind and Warnado stormed the stronghold in their search for the other pylons, and so far, they didn't have any luck. No matter how hard they looked, the area seemed to be lacking in pylons—just stone walls and wooden barrels for miles upon miles.

"Figures. They disappear right when we need them," Whirlwind muttered, her eyes fixed on her paws as she moved forwards, then gave the space around her a confused look before she turned back to Warnado, "Hey, Warnado, haven't we gone here before?"

Warnado only shrugged.

"I dunno. Everything here looks the same if you ask me," Warnado replied before he turned around and gazed at the pathway they passed.

Whirlwind heaved another sigh and gave the tornado a frustrated look.

"So in other words, we've been walking in circles this whole time, and haven't found a single…" Whirlwind stopped short of her rant the minute she turned around and saw something in front of her before her expression turned to absolute joy.

"Warnado, look!" Whirlwind bolted to Warnado's side, grabbed him and turned him around.

"Whirlwind, what's the big—" Warnado turned around and stopped short with a beam.

There, in front of them, was another golden pylon, standing tall and proud in the storm! Its golden surface glistened in the little light provided, like a beacon of hope for those who had lost their way. However, positioned in front of it was a small platoon of drow guards in identical gray-and-red uniforms, each of whom brandished shiny silver spears. And she meant small—Whirlwind could probably count on both paws how many there were. In fact, the many wooden barrels that flanked the island outnumbered them by far!

"Let me handle these guys." Whirlwind narrowed her eyes.

Her mind grew focused on the storms that raged in her heart, mind and world as she looked over her foes. She hadn't tried something like this many times before, but she hoped it would work… Her eyes didn't move from the pylon as she summoned a trio of storm clouds that surrounded the drow and captured them in a grid of electricity! The clouds shocked the soldiers with such power, such rage, such intensity that all they could do when the clouds dissipated was lie on the ground.

"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be," Whirlwind giggled as she flew forwards and focused her eyes on the pylon.

Warnado, however, turned around and frowned as he tilted his head. He seemed to have said something, but Whirlwind had him and this strange rumbling she heard in the back of her mind as she looked for the pylon's button. Whirlwind ran her paw against its smooth golden surface before she felt something nudge out form its surface. She raised a claw, got ready to press it, and then…

Something scratched her.

Well, not really a scratch, she wasn't sure. It all happened so suddenly—she got ready to press the button, then something leaped out of nowhere and gashed her ear! Whirlwind screamed and reeled back in pain as she held her paw over her ear. Thankfully the cut was shallow enough that there was no blood drawn, but it still hurt like hell.

As she heaved heavy breaths, Whirlwind heard a growling, gnashing sound and turned around to find her attacker—a small, leafy creature with too many sharp teeth than it probably should have and beady eyestalks.

"CHOMPIES!" Whirlwind exclaimed as she growled.

In response to her screams and shouts, the other barrels all burst and more of these awful Chompies spurted out. She should've been more suspicious with it being so unarmed! But well, it was too late for now.

Warnado grimaced as the Chompies growled and slowly circled them both. With a snarl of his mouth, he withdrew into his shell and spun through the crowds, but it was no use—they only jumped onto his shell and chewed on its spikes!

"H-h-hey, stop!" Warnado laughed from within his shell's protection, "That, heh, that tickles!"

Warnado burst into helpless laughter as his spinning drew to a stop and he popped out of his shell. He fell onto his back and rolled around in sheer joy, only to hear growling and pop his eyes open to find the Chompies all surrounded him!

Whirlwind winced as they launched towards Warnado with fangs drawn and ready to bite—but they never got the chance to feed.

In a fit of impulse Whirlwind shot a lightning bolt from her horn and watched as it tossed the Chompies aside—but it did little to deter the rest of the pod. After all, the ones she took out were only four of what? Fifty? As the Chompies enclosed on her, she carefully backed into Warnado's back, only for something to tap her on the shoulder.

"Whirlybird, I've got an idea!" Warnado whispered, "Can you summon one of your stormclouds?"

Whirlwind frantically nodded and breathed in. Her eyes shut, she thrust her head to the stormy skies and watched as a rumbling thundercloud about the size of a large pillow appeared before her!

Warnado smirked as he spun around and cast out an equally-sized tornado, then popped out of his shell and watched the two forces collided!

In moments, the tornado absorbed the cloud into its winds and turned a churning gray the color of charcoal. Its speeds turned rapid as it circled around the horde of Chompies and spat them out the top of its funnel!

Whirlwind would normally smile as she watched them get tossed off the edge of the path, but she was a bit shaken still from the suddenness of the ambush. All she could do was breath a sigh of relief as they were all cleared out and the tornado vanished with them. Once she was in the clear, Whirlwind slowly walked back to the pylon and whipped her head around, just in case there were any more unwanted surprises. Once she was safe, she returned to the button and gently pressed it. As she heard the whirs of the receding pylon, Whirlwind heaved another relieved sigh.

Warnado, meanwhile, focused his eyes on the storm.

It had dropped in size from twenty to fifteen and now to merely ten feet, and in accordance with its new state of weakness another piece of the bridge fell from its winds and into place.

"Time to get back on the road," Whirlwind said as she turned around and faced Warnado, "Hopefully there won't be any more surprises…"

§

But while Whirlwind and Warnado were in good spirits, Chihiro most certainly was not.

She held the lantern close to her heart as she trailed further and further along in the Citadel, while her legs shook the whole time. She was barely able to walk from all the nerves in her brain, for she had gone quite far in the path and was now way too lost for her own good. The earlier incident played over and over again in her mind, Chihiro ran further while her heart pounded with every step she took.

_He hates me now, he's mad at me and he's gonna yell and me and then he'll abandon me and,_ Chihiro thought before she quickly shook her head and cleared her thoughts, her other hand used to clutch her heart, _Calm down, Chihiro, freaking out won't make things any better. Just find a place to hide until he calms down. Then he probably won't hate me! Maybe!_

Chihiro stopped short to catch her breath, before she looked up and winced as she realized that she had absolutely no idea where she had gone. Well, she didn't really have an idea beforehand, but now she knew she was definitely too far gone.

_If he's still alive…_

As she held her lantern in front of her, Chihiro's hands shook so badly that she lost her grip and the lantern fell to her feet. And just her luck, it went out at soon as it hit the ground! Chihiro inhaled sharply as the light went out, then drew back for mere moments as her body shook so badly that she felt like she could barely move again.

"Great going, Hatsuki, you just lost your only light source!" Chihiro whimpered as she rubbed her hands, her voice weakened to a ghost's whisper, "Now what am I gonna do?"

Chihiro sighed and looked down at her hands—or at least, what she could make out to be her hands in this darkness. Her whole body shook as noises that sounded almost like people talking echoed around the room.

"WHO'S THERE?!" Chihiro whipped around to find that the sounds were gone before she grasped her shirt anxiously, "Guess I was just hearing things."

Chihiro fell back down and sighing weakly. She then heaved herself back up and looked around before she carefully moved forward, her arm stretched out as she used her hand to feel around.

"Okay, the wall's right there." Chihiro's hand now pressed against what she presumed was a stone wall, "And obviously, I'm walking on the floor. The whole room seems to be small…"

Chihiro then stopped short as she heard something—the sound of flapping wings, a sound all too familiar to her. Her eyes went wide for a moment and her head whipped back and forth while her heart raced.

"You're just hearing things." Chihiro's breath turning steady as her hands shook once again, "Just hearing things, just hearing things. Just hear—ACK!"

A bright light shone throughout the hallway and caused Chihiro to lose her footing! She fell on her knees, shielded her eyes, then whimpered quietly as she felt the light subside and opened her eyes to find the whole hallway illuminated before her. Chihiro smiled and stood before she whipped her head around and found Spyro, who flew in place about a foot away from her!

"Chihiro, there you are!" Spyro shouted as he shot forwards.

Chihiro inhaled sharply and panicked, then darted back off as she panted heavily with Spyro still in hot pursuit.

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro shouted as he chased after her, the intensity in his voice only an amplifier to her tension.

Chihiro only panicked more and ran until she hit what seemed to be a dead end—there were no doors to be found, and all that was there was a large stone dome with a rickety wooden platform. Chihiro stumbled onto the platform and fell face-first, her breathing intensified as she looked around.

At the same time, Spyro dropped onto the platform and looked Chihiro in the eyes.

"Chihiro, I was looking all over for you—" Spyro heard a creaking sound and stopped in their tracks as they both froze in panic.

"Did you hear that?" Chihiro trilled at last, her eyes teary with fear as she shook in her place.

She then looked back and forth before she looked down at her feet and inhaled sharply. The floor underneath them seemed almost ready to buckle, the wooden boards bent under their weight.

"SPYRO, GET OUT!"

It all happened in the blink of a moment—Chihiro pushed Spyro out of the way as the floor cracked under their wait, and all she could do was scream as she fell into the hole's abyss.

Spyro, meanwhile, rolled onto the more stable stone floor and shook his head as he took all of five seconds to realize what happened.

"CHIHIRO!"

Spyro dove after her without a second of hesitation, and with that, they both fell deeper and deeper down the hole…

§

Whirlwind and Warnado walked down an elaborate blue stone pathway while the winds blew furiously. Their hearts pounded slightly faster than usual, and every step they took was taken with a fearful caution. Occasionally, they would look back and forth, just to make sure that there weren't any more unpleasant surprises waiting for them.

Whirlwind then took a deep breath and looked up towards the path ahead before her eyes widened and she forgot about everything she was thinking of earlier.

"There it is!" Whirlwind shouted.

Warnado swerved his head around and accidentally gave himself a crick in the neck in the process. After that short moment of pain, Warnado focused his attention on Whirlwind's target.

It was another pylon! Also guarded, this time a little more abundantly, by drow!

Whirlwind and Warnado both gave the pylon cautious stares as they warmed up for battle. Whirlwind flapped her wings softly and Warnado stretched out his legs, the anticipation so great it almost could have killed then.

"TWISTS OF FURY!" Whirlwind exclaimed as her wings pounded and the battle finally began.

She darted into the heart of the drow and cast several storm clouds and shocking the soldiers until they fell unconscious.

"SKYLANDERS!" Exclaimed several of the soldiers as rushed into battle, tossed their spears at Whirlwind and charged at her with weaponry of all kinds.

Whirlwind whipped her head around, quickly stopped casting her clouds and instead tried her best to avoid the oncoming artillery. At first, things weren't too bad—the drow soldiers had awful aim, and most of them missed her by a mile. However, right as she was feeling confident, a golden, circular blade appeared seemingly out of nowhere, grazed her shoulder, and sent her crashing back into the ground!

"WHIRLWIND!" Warnado exclaimed as he pushed his way through the drow soldiers he fought.

However, it was fruitless—the drow soldiers seemed to pile in more than before, as if they were infinite in numbers. As another group of soldiers surrounded Whirlwind and pointed at her with their spears, Whirlwind whimpered and tried to get up. But, the drow soldiers prodded her with their spears and forced her to lay back down.

"Well, well, look what we've got here," cackled a voice laced with venom, "Skylanders, on our fine evening! What's the occasion?"

Whirlwind moaned and lifted up her head as she looked back and forth in some kind of weak attempt to find the voice's owner.

"Up here, featherball," hissed the voice's owner with all manner of irritation.

Whirlwind weakly looked up and found that loomed over everyone else on a stone platform was a slender drow witch with pale green skin. She was adorned with black and purple robes and held two golden, circular blades in her hands—one of which was dripping with crimson blood.

Whirlwind gasped and looked down as her shoulder, which now bled slowly. As she quickly covered the shoulder with her paw, she glazed over to her opposite side.

_Come on, Warnado's gotta be here somewhere…_ Whirlwind thought while her eyes made panicked glances back and forth—but between all the soldiers, she couldn't make him out at all.

That is, until she hear a familiar shout resonate from across the battlefield.

"LET ME GO!"

A small crowd of drow soldiers grabbed the bottom of Warnado's shell and heaved him up, his body tied in coarse, itchy ropes and unable to move a muscle.

"WARNADO!" Whirlwind tried to get up once more, but was once again pushed back down the soldiers surrounding her.

The drow witch standing on the platform smirked and clapped her hands, a large, wicked smile on her face.

"Minions! Drop the turtle next to the dragon," The drow witch commanded as she pointed to the space next to Whirlwind.

The soldiers complied even faster than immediately as they tossed Warnado next to Whirlwind while the soldiers that surrounded her cleared out. Warnado landed on the ground with a large thump, then groaned as he looked over at Whirlwind.

Whirlwind grimaced as she continued to cover up the cut on her shoulder, which bled much more excessively and stained her fur with crimson. She was breathing heavily, and though she tried to look strong, it was clear that she was in no position to fight the hordes of enemies around them.

The drow general sneered and clasped her hands while she looked over Whirlwind and Warnado with the most malicious look in her eyes.

"Give up yet, Skylanders?"


	5. Chapter 5

"So, do you give up yet?"

Whirlwind winced as she looked up at the drow general with burning eyes and squeezed her bleeding shoulder. Her heart pounded hard, and her breath was heavy. She could barely stand, fatigued from all the fighting and traveling she had done—but she wasn't giving up yet.

Warnado, meanwhile, wasn't in any kind of better position—he had been bound and tied with rope and now laid helplessly on the ground. His mouth was twisted into a scowl as he struggled against his bonds, which refused to come loose regardless of how much he twisted and turned. And on top of that, he was flanked by many drow foot soldiers, all of whom took delight in poking him with their silver spears.

"Well?" The drow general hissed once more, a wicked smile still transfixed on her face, "Do you? I'm not giving you all day to decide."

Whirlwind bit her lip, her heart still throbbing as she thought.

The drow soldiers gave her wicked grins while they pressed her down, their spears now pressed so far into her that they practically skewered her already-weakened body.

Whirlwind screamed out as her whole body seared with pain, her head throbbed and her vision blurred. She immediately went to cover her body with her wings and paws and shook all over as she just barely heard an angered shout from the drow commander.

"DON'T KILL THEM YET!" the commander shouted with a snarl, "We need them alive! That if, if they want to come in quietly—I'm sure Lord Kaos would want to torment them himself."

The drow soldiers quickly stopped assaulting Whirlwind and drew back into a stiff pose, their whole bodies stood straight around their prisoners like pickets in a wooden fence.

The drow commander looked down at Whirlwind and went back to her trademark smirk.

"So, what'll it be, dragonling?" The commander sneered, "Hurry up, my soldiers are _clearly _getting impatient~"

_I can't give up now, not after we've come so far, _Whirlwind thought as her paw dug into her shoulder, _But we're completely surrounded, and doing anything hasty could literally kill us… What should I do?_

Whirlwind's eyes darted back and forth. They bounced back between the crowd of drow soldiers surrounding her, to the golden pylon right behind the drow general. Then, her eyes fixated on the general—more specifically, the shiny golden blades said general held in her hand…

_Wait a second!_

"Actually, I have a question…" Whirlwind announced as she looked up at the drow commander, "I want to know about your blades."

The drow general perked up for a few moments and watched as the soldiers crowded around Whirlwind and Warnado began chattering among themselves. Then, she looked at her reflection in her shiny golden blades and smiled as she moved her arms back to her side and stared Whirlwind straight in the face.

"I'll allow it." The general stroked her blades ever so tenderly, "After all, I do love talking about my babies so,"—the drow general clutched her blades close as she beamed with pride—"What do you want to know about them? Do you want to know how I painstakingly crafted them with my own bare hands, how they're magically enchanted to always return to me no matter how far I throw them—"

"Actually." Whirlwind's horn glowed a faint pink in color, "Are they reflective by any chance?"

The drow general looked at Whirlwind with a furrowed brow before she shrugged.

"I guess? They're made of gold, I don't see why they wouldn't be—"

"Good."

Then, without so much as a warning, Whirlwind's horn flared in a bright array of colors before a shining rainbow shot out of it and went flying straight at the general!

The general gasped sharply and threw her blades in front of her face, the blades that proceeded to catch the rainbow and reflect it for mere moments before they shot the rainbow back at Whirlwind! As the general lowered her arms, she watched with absolute terror as the rainbow hit Whirlwind and enveloped her in a bright rainbow light. The light was so bright, in fact, that the general was forced to turn away from it mere moments after, as were those around her.

Whirlwind smiled as she was lifted up into the air. Her strength rushed back into her body, and the blood on her shoulder slowly dried off and faded away! The wounds on her body healed themselves and disappeared in the blink of a eye as Whirlwind fell to the floor and flared her wings with a confident smile.

The drow general stumbled back in shock as she beheld the now much more battle-ready Whirlwind.

"B-B-B-BUT HOW!?"

"Healing rainbows. Works every time," Whirlwind sneered as she shot back the smirk the general had given her before.

The drow general was struck with genuine fear as she swerved back and forth.

In fact, Whirlwind felt an almost snide rush of energy rush into her heart as she watched this general that had gleefully tormented her and Warnado not moments earlier panic.

"W-W-W-WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" The drow general frantically pointed a finger at Whirlwind, "GET HER!"

The drow soldiers all scrambled around as they grabbed their spears and rushed to attack Whirlwind. However, they were unsuccessful—they could only watch as Whirlwind quickly caught up to their tricks and shot upwards while the wind embraced her as she flew. In a panicked frenzy, they all tossed their spears at her, but they couldn't reach high enough to even graze the soles of her back paws.

"I need to get going!" The drow commander gazed at the crowd of soldiers that tried and failed to apprehend Whirlwind and bit her lip, "If Lord Kaos hears about this…"

She breathed heavily as she zig-zagged back and forth in a desperate try to find some kind of sanctuary to hide in. But it was of no victory—everything around her was wide, open space for miles. Then, she saw the pylon in front of her and ran to hide behind it, only to stumble forwards and trip right into the pylon. With a sickening slip, she fell to the stone floors, completely unconscious.

Meanwhile, Whirlwind was completely calm despite all the chaos! Electricity crackled at the tips of her wings as she flapped them, and all around her, storm clouds enveloped her and seemingly tamed themselves under her paws. Her eyes flashed with pure lightning as she chanted something in an ancient, draconic tongue with such a booming voice that the world around her shook.

The soldiers that previously harassed Whirlwind came to a slow halt. They lowered their weapons, mumbled among themselves and gave Whirlwind a confused look as they listened to her chant. Just then, they finally realized what she was doing!

"SHE'S PREPARING A SPELL! GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" Shouted one soldier.

The others saw the storm clouds grow twice their previous size and rushed off in a fearful attempt at escape. While many tried their best, a small few were fixed in their places by a mixture of fear and amazement and could only watch as the storm clouds embraced Whirlwind with a fondness similar to family.

Whirlwind smiled as she clapped her front paws together and made the storm clouds scatter, each cloud positioned somewhere across the battlefield. Then, she snapped her front claws and the clouds all thundered at once, which shocked all those around and sent the drow soldiers dropping like flies!

Warnado tried desperately to retreat into his shell when a bolt of thunder shocked the ropes restraining him and reduced them to harmless crisps of what they used to be! As he found himself free, Warnado fell down to the floor and shook for a few key moments before he smiled and looked up at Whirlwind. He then gave her a thumbs up before he cast a tornado of his own and sailed about on it, while the storm clouds wove their way into the tornado and provided him with extra speed.

All around them, the drow soldiers who hadn't fallen from literal shock tried desperately to escape. However, they weren't going to get their wish—Warnado had quickly decided on that. As he spun his tornado in the direction of the fleeing cavalry, Warnado gained a malicious grin. He locked eyes with the soldiers as they turned their heads around and were captured by the tornado before they were flung everywhere like liquid in an uncovered blender.

Whirlwind gently drifted back down to the ground. All around her, the clouds slowly dispersed and brought about a cloudy blue sky and a little sun that brought beams of light onto the battlefield. A kind of odd peace enveloped her as she walked up to the pylon and prepared to lower it with every step she took.

However, as she neared the pylon, her paw stepped on something soft and squishy and she looked down to find the unconscious body of the drow general that had been taunting her earlier. Whirlwind smirked as she rolled the body over to the side before walking back to the pylon. As she pressed a paw against the smooth, cool side of the pylon, Whirlwind closed her eyes and tucked in her wings. She then pressed the button on the pylon's side and watched with satisfaction as it receded.

As she felt the light grow stronger, Whirlwind opened her eyes and turned around to find that the bridge was now mostly complete, and the tornado was now mostly harmless and about a fifteenth of the size it once was.

"Whirlwind! Get over here!" Warnado shouted as he waved one of his front paws.

He then watched her turn around and pointed towards the pathway behind him. With a nod, Warnado lead her all the way to a secluded corner at the near end of the pathway, where a fourth golden pylon stood.

"You know what to do, Whirlybird." Warnado made a knowing smile and winked.

Whirlwind winked back, then walked over to the pylon and pressed the button on it as well.

When the pylon reached the bottom with a firm thud, both looked over to find a completed bridge, and the hurricane gone!

"We're almost there!" Whirlwind jumped in the air with sparkling eyes, then took Warnado's paw and ran across the bridge with the speed of a hurricane until she reached its very end.

There at the end was a large, stone pathway that lead higher and higher until it stopped at the top of the stone platform it decorated. On top of that platform was the stone castle they had seen earlier, which now glowed a sky blue as it radiated with magical energy.

"It's definitely here, I can feel it!" Whirlwind looked at Warnado and nodded before she stormed up the platform, her heart a'flutter with joy, "Now let's go!"

§

Chihiro whimpered as she opened her eyes, everything around her fuzzy and distorted. Her head was throbbing and her body was still shaking from anxiety. Yeah, that was definitely not a smooth landing. When her vision finally cleared, she was in a mostly dark room with a weird, aqua filter covering the whole thing. Chihiro stood up straight and looked around her. Her hair bounced as her head swerved from side to side, while she found that it wasn't just a filter—it was some kind of giant, blue bubble! Chihiro leaned over and pushed her finger against the bubble.

In response, it stretched out with her, before it returned back to its normal, round shape when she let go.

_Did I create this thing? _Chihiro thought as she brushed a hand against the bubble's smooth surface, _But how?_

As she pondered the mystery of how this all happened, Chihiro heard what sounded like a muffled scream and looked up to see something coming into view from the light of the bubble!

It was a large purple blur that fell at a speed so fast that Chihiro couldn't even ponder what was going on.

Without even a thought, she bounced back just slightly and held up her arms as a hole opened up in the bubble and Spyro fell right into her grasp!

Spyro himself groaned as he opened his eyes and found himself staring right into Chihiro's face. With tired eyes, he watched as Chihiro shuddered and gently dropped him to the ground.

With a nervous gulp, Chihiro quickly dashed away from Spyro and looked down at her feet. Then, she felt the light around her fade as she watched the bubble dissolve in an instant. Sure enough, she and Spyro were left in complete darkness.

"… Frick," Chihiro whispered as her tired eyes glanced up at the darkness around her.

"Where in Skylands are we, anyway?" Spyro asked as he snapped his claws and darted his head back and forth before a bright light shone throughout the room.

Within moments, the light had settled across the room and finally gave them an idea of where they were. They were in an old, dusty library stuffed with wooden bookcases that were filled with all kinds of books. The books themselves were covered in dust and cobwebs from lack of use, and the bookshelves themselves were coated in a thin layer of grime. The floors were old, wooden and creaked with every step, and the wooden ceiling now had a gaping hole in it from where they fell.

Spyro and Chihiro both look up at the gaping hole in the ceiling before they looked back at each other. Spyro's expression turned sour very quickly, his eyes transfixed on Chihiro with disdain. Chihiro gulped, gained an awkward grimace on her face and promptly scurried over to the other side of the room without a single word.

"Chihiro, get back here!" Spyro shouted before he watched as Chihiro flinched and crawled back.

Chihiro then curled into a ball and looked to the side in her hardest attempt not to meet Spyro's sour gaze.

"Why in Skylands did you run off?! You worried me sick when we got separated in that cave-in!" Spyro extended his leg towards the gaping hole in the ceiling, "And on top of that, you running off got us stuck here!"

Chihiro whimpered and trembled while she curled inward even more.

"C'mon, Chihiro, answer me already!"

Chihiro bit her lip as tears fell down her face. Should she admit it? She wasn't sure—her brain was so fired up with all kinds of emotions that she could barely get a grip of the world around her, much less her own thoughts.

"I, I," Chihiro sputtered, her voice weak, "I DON'T KNOW!"

"You don't know?" Spyro echoed as he tilted his head, his voice softened just a little.

Chihiro whimpered before she sniffled for several moments.

"Cause, when we got trapped in that ceiling cave-in, I, I." Chihiro wiped her face with her arms and whispered, "This one stone, it, well, it was about to land on you, so I pushed you out of the way and ran off! I was so scared cause I thought you might've gotten hurt, or you'd get mad at me for leaving you behind, and I, I, I didn't know what to do!"

Now fresh with rife, released emotion, Chihiro buried her face into her knees and wailed so loudly it probably echoed around the entirely of the hallway—not that anybody else could hear. This place was completely abandoned save for her and Spyro, and that only served to intensify her heightened emotion.

Spyro just stood and watched Chihiro sob for a few moments before he softened his brow, his mouth agape.

"Chihiro, you saved my life! Why would I be mad at you for that?"

Chihiro's whole body jolted up as she looked Spyro straight in the face with teary eyes.

"Cause, well, you said you wanted me to stay with you, and, when you saw me you were yelling and all—"

"Chihiro, I got all worked up cause I thought you got caught in the cave-in!" Spyro flew forward and gently laid a paw on Chihiro's knee, "I thought you were dead!"

With a sniffle, Chihiro wiped her teary eyes and weakly looked up at Spyro. His golden eyes shone with a kind of vulnerability she hadn't quite seen in him before except for… That night. That night she had found him, sullen and teary-eyed on the island's center. Guess now, it was her turn to pour her heart out—all she could do was wrap her arms around him and sob into his shoulder until she finally felt her tears drain away.

"I thought you were gonna hate me forever!" Chihiro croaked as she loosened her grip and looked Spyro in the face.

"Why would you think that?" Spyro asked at last, his voice returned to normal volume.

Chihiro only made a helpless shrug as she wiped her eyes.

"I don't know either, I just got so scared that I freaked out and look what I did!" Chihiro's lip quivered along with her trembling shoulders before she buried her face in her knees again, "I got us stuck here and we're gonna be trapped here forever!"

"That's where you're wrong." Spyro flared his wings and made a calm smile as he lifted Chihiro's head up, "Chihiro, if there's one thing Skylanders never do, it's give up! I know it seems bad right now, but if we put our heads together, I'm sure we can find a way out of here!"

Chihiro's mouth formed into a surprised o-shape as she felt her tears dry away. Something about the way Spyro seemed so confident, yet so calm in a situation as bad as this made her worries ease and allowed her to make a weak smile. After a few quick sniffs, she brought herself to her feet once more and wiped away the last of her tears.

"You're right, Spyro!" Chihiro's smile grew to a more natural, calm kind of joy as she let her arms rest at her side, "If we got ourselves into this mess, I'm sure there's a way to get out! Now, why don't we figure it out?"

Spyro and Chihiro nodded in unison, a new kind of synergy in their hearts, before Spyro flew off and examined the room.

"Well," Spyro whispered as he bit his lip just slightly, "There aren't any exits here aside from that hole, but I don't know if I could carry you up that high."

Spyro flew back down, situated himself back on the dusty floors and looked all over the bookshelves with a kind of intrigue. His eyes lit up and he looked back at Chihiro.

"Chihiro!"

"You got an idea, Spyro?" Chihiro tilted her head as she skipped over and looked down at Spyro.

Spyro nodded firmly before clearing his throat.

"Well, what I was thinking is, since there's no visible passageways through here there has to be some kind of secret one." Spyro looked around the room, "And if I know my secret library passageways, one's bound to reveal itself if we mess with these books."

"Like in the TV shows!" Chihiro exclaimed as she held out an extended finger, "You know, with how there's a secret switch that's activated by removing a book, or moving it a certain way, stuff like that!"

"Exactly!" Spyro looked back at Chihiro with eager eyes, "I'll take this half, you take the other one. Just mess with the books until we find something!"

They both nodded and went straight to work! Without even hesitating they poured through the bookshelves and did whatever they could to open them up. They pulled out books, moved them around, rearranged entire shelves, whatever could possibly trigger the appearance of an entrance. However, no matter what they did, nothing happen—the room was noticeably lacking in exits and looked pretty much identical to how it did when they arrived, save for the mess of books.

"Nothing." Spyro and Chihiro both sat down and sighed.

Chihiro heaved another heavy sigh and fell on her back as she stared up at the ceiling. Her eyes fixated on the gaping hole in the ceiling, Chihiro sighed once more and turned on her side. As she laid her head on her arm, she gently brushed her hand against the dusty wooden floors.

"So, what're we gonna do?" Chihiro asked Spyro as she looked back up, "It doesn't look like there's any magical secret pathways."

Spyro heaved another sigh as he looked back at Chihiro and then looked down at his paws.

"I don't know…" Spyro mumbled as he pawed at the ground, "I'll have to keep thinking."

Spyro hummed to himself as he placed a paw on his chin in contemplation as Chihiro fixed her eyes back onto the ceiling hole. If only they had some kind of device that could let them just get back up there instantly, like a grappling hook or a trampoline or…

"I'VE GOT IT!" Chihiro sprung to her feet and spun around before she faced Spyro.

"Got what?" Spyro turned around and looked Chihiro in the eyes.

Chihiro cleared her throat and rubbed a fist against her chest.

"Okay so, you know how I told you that in my world, there's a Skylanders game based on all your adventures, right?" Chihiro looked back at Spyro with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Yes, and I still find that very concerning."

"Well, I was thinking about footage I saw from the game itself, and I remembered—in some levels, they have these magical trampoline pad thingies that you jump on!"

"You mean bounce pads?" Spyro tilted his head as if he was prompting Chihiro for an answer.

"Yeah, that's the ticket!" Chihiro glazed over at the open space where they had first landed, "Maybe if you could create one of those with your magic-y powers, we can bounce right out of here!"—Chihiro stopped herself short and tilted her head—"Wait, can you?"

Spyro clapped his front paws and exhaled.

"I don't think I've ever really tried creating bounce pads before, but it's worth a shot!" Spyro breathed in and walked towards the open space he was talking about earlier.

As she watched him focus, Chihiro shrugged and ran off to look over the books. They were all coated in dust and cobwebs that could make anybody break into hapless sneezing, but there was something about them she found oddly enchanting. As she glazed over them, she collected up a small stack of books, all of which were tucked safely away under her arm, and peeled the shelves for more. As her finger brushed against the dusty spines of books she had rearranged, Chihiro barely even glazed over them before her eyes fixated on a dull sky blue colored book with shimmering white bands as the spine's decoration.

"Oooh, this one looks interesting," Chihiro remarked as she pulled out the book and tucking it safely under her arm when she heard a magical _WHOOSH!_

"Chihiro! Hurry up, the bounce pad's ready!" Spyro turned back and looked over the bounce pad with a frown, "I hope this works..."

"Ready steady Freddy!" Chihiro exclaimed, a wide grin on her face as she hopped over to Spyro's side.

"What's with all the books?" Spyro took one look at her before his eyes glanced over to the stack of books under her arm.

"Nothing gets past you, huh?" Chihiro made a wry smile before she patted her collection, "I just thought these were interesting and figured I'd bring them back to read later!"

Spyro shrugged for a moment, before he stepped back and nodded slightly.

Chihiro nodded eagerly, complete understanding between them as she hopped onto the bounce pad and went barreling upwards. With a squeal of glee, Chihiro soared and made a quick gaze around. Her eyes widened as she saw the now slightly-visible hallway, the part of it that wasn't broken now visible thanks to the light Spyro emitted throughout the library room. Then, with a wide smile, she mustered her strength and pushed herself forwards! As she fell back down and dove onto the hallway floors, she shielded herself with the books she was carrying to soften the blow… Of course, this wasn't the wisest idea as the books were hardcover and ended up smacking her straight in the face, but oh well.

Chihiro rubbed her face and moaned with pain as she staggered back up before she heard a whooshing sound and whipped her whole body around.

That whooshing sound was Spyro, who had just bounced up and landed on the stone floors perfectly right in front of Chihiro.

"Ten outta ten, golden boy," Chihiro chirped as she gave Spyro a thumbs up, "Now let's find our way outta here!"

Spyro nodded slightly as he walked up to Chihiro, and they both nodded towards each other. With a snap of his claws, he conjured another glowering sphere of light as they carefully walked down the pathway

§

Whirlwind's heart throbbed with excitement as she and Warnado climbed the spiraling stone staircase that lead up to the castle. It was just so thrilling, being so close to their goal at last! Around her, the winds seemingly grew stronger and stronger and blew medium-sized rocks off the top of the platform above them, which only amplified her excitement..

In fact, didn't that sound like…

"Warnado, look out!" Whirlwind exclaimed as she pushed Warnado out of the way!

While they gathered their bearings, a tiny boulder rolled off the top platform and crashed right into where they were formerly standing! As the boulder shattered into millions of tiny pebbles, Whirlwind threw her wing in front of her face and flinched. Warnado, meanwhile, quickly retreated into his shell until the coast was clear.

When both of them calmed down, Whirlwind flapped her wings slightly while she pressed her paw against her chin. Her eyes trained themselves on the pathway ahead before she looked around in several other directions. The winds were still howling, but the rocks seemed to have stabilized and were no longer threatening to fall off and crush her under their weight.

"Coast's clear, Warnado!" Whirlwind breathed in and dashed ahead, the sound of her paws pounding against the cold surface of the pathway a new white noise in the chaos.

Right in front of her, the path receded and receded as she got closer and closer, while her heart pounded with every step she took.

The spiraling pathway slowly absorbed itself into the walls of the building as they got higher up, until the pathway ended and led them to a platform on top of the building. The winds were howling even louder than before, and their strength had taken a sharp increases.

Whirlwind threw a leg in front of her face as she wrapped her wings around her body to use as windbreakers. Her heart swirled with Air Element magic and made it beat even faster than before as her whole body shuddered with excitement and swelled with power at the same time!

"Just a little further, Whirlwind, you can make it!" Whirlwind exclaimed as she trudged through the winds and found herself at the very top of the platform!

The winds had grown stronger around her, but strangely enough, the area didn't seem to be affected—it was almost tranquil, like she was in the eye of the storm. Or more specifically, in the eye of the Eternal Air Source's storm—because there in the center of it all, hovered over a wooden platform was the Eternal Air Source!

It was a large, oval-like sky blue orb that glowed strongly with sky blue light as a tiny tornado stormed within it. For something that wasn't any bigger than a large dinner plate, it seemed almost intimidating as it brewed with the unhampered, raw power of the collective Air Element. Just standing next to it as an Air Elemental made Whirlwind surge not only with an energy more powerful than she had ever felt, but a kind of smallness that could only make her respect its power in a sort of fearful way as she felt the storms it brewed storm around her.

Whirlwind carefully stepped closer and closer until she stood right in front of the Source, then reached out her front paws and carefully clutched it. The raw energy that emanated from the Source made her tremble with excitement—this felt almost surreal, so dreamlike… As she held it close, the storms around her slowly came to a stop! Whirlwind looked around and saw that the islands were at peace once more, their throbbing storms replaced with clear skies and gentle breezes, and a wide smile stretched across her face.

"Mission complete," Whirlwind whispered as she hugged the Eternal Air Source close to her heart, "Now, to get this back to the—AAAAAAAAA!"

All of a sudden, the wooden floor underneath her caved in and both she and the Source fell through!

§

"Hey, Spyro, didn't we walk past here already?" Chihiro asked as she looked back and forth across the hallway they were walking through.

For the past several minutes now, she and Spyro had been walking through endless hallways and corridors and tried their hardest to get out of the shadow of what was once Eon's mighty citadel. But, it wasn't of much luck—the shock from their earlier mishap had dampened Chihiro's memory of its layout.

"No, I'm pretty sure that portrait's new," Spyro replied as he pointed towards a framed portrait of a younger Master Eon while he lifted up an orb of light with his other front paw.

"…Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I've seen that one before." Chihiro squinted at the painting and shook her head "But then again, it seems like all these portraits look the same,"—Chihiro looked ahead and saw that Spyro had dodged her remarks and had flown quite a bit ahead—"Hey! Spyro, wait for me!"

As she rejoined Spyro, Chihiro paused for a moment and caught her breath.

"Think, we're, near the exit, yet?"

"I'm not sure, unfortunately." Spyro pressed a paw to his chin while he flew in place, "I've never really been in this part of Master Eon's citadel before. For that matter, I didn't even know it existed until now!"

"Does that mean we're lost?" Chihiro heaved another heavy sigh and sat down on the floor. As she sat and rested, she placed her stack of books down next to her, pressed her legs against her chest and dragged her finger along the stone.

"No, we're not lost." Spyro hung his head slightly, "I'm sure I remember the way we came. I've got a photographic memory, after all."

"You do?"

Spyro nodded slightly before looked over the pathways while he racked his brain.

"Hey, Chihiro?" Spyro looked back to see Chihiro look up at him.

"Yeah?" Chihiro picked up the books next to her and stood tall.

"Hey, well." Spyro scratched the back of his head, "Thanks for saving me back when we got caught in that cave-in. And, well, I'm sorry if I scared you or anything."

"Oh, it's no big deal." Chihiro shook her head and smiled fondly, "You are my friend, after all!"

Spyro just stared at her with complete, confused silence.

"But, we could've died—YOU could've died—"

"I wasn't just gonna let you die! You and the other Skylanders are the first real friends I actually have! I'm not just gonna lose you guys like that! And besides, if you're safe then who cares what happens to me?"

"I DO!" Spyro's voice echoed out before he turned solemn as he clasped a paw, "You're our portal master, Chihiro—you're more important to all of us than you realize. If we lost you… If you had actually died, I don't think I could've ever forgiven myself."

Chihiro drew back and looked down at her feet. The two of them went silent for what seemed like forever—the only sound was that of Chihiro's voice as she breathed in sharply and drew back. She then looked to the side and clutched her books close to her heart.

"Did I say something wrong?" Spyro let go of his clasped paw, his jaw ajar just slightly.

"No, no, it's just…" Chihiro jerked up and looked at Spyro before she shook her head and smiled slightly, "Nobody's really told me that before, or ever actually bothered to apologize to me in the first place."

Spyro was about to say something, but was at such a loss for words that he could only nod slightly. Chihiro was as well, only able to gaze over the repeating stone pathways or occasionally cuddle her stack of books. Surely, neither of them expected to blurt out something like that so suddenly.

"So, Spyro…" Chihiro whispered at last before she raised her voice slightly, "There's something I've always wondered…"

"Yeah?"

"The night we met, when we were talking with all the other Skylanders… You said you used to go on all sorts of adventures before you became a 'lander, right?" Chihiro made a wide smile, "Could you, well, tell me about them?"

Spyro broke a chuckle for the first time that day.

"Well, I guess I could, but it might take a while—I've got a lot of stories…"

"And we've got lots of time." Chihiro looked up at the ceiling, "Something tells me it'll be a while before we get out of this place."

The two of them then looked back at the path they went through and then the one in front of them and heaved heavy sighs.

"Well, I should at the beginning—see, it all started with a guy named Gnasty Gnorc…"

§

"She was going to do WHAT?!" Chihiro exclaimed, eyes widened in pure horror.

"Unfortunately, it was all true. Had the sorceress gotten her way, she would've killed all the hatchlings and used their wings in a spell to make herself immortal!" Spyro said with a grave nod before he looked up at Chihiro and grinned, "But thankfully, that didn't happen."

"Cause you stopped her, right?" Chihiro's eyes turned wide as she saw Spyro nod.

"You bet! It was tough, but I confronted her, and not only did I stop her, my friends and I all managed to save the dragon eggs she stole!"

Then, with a gleeful smile she dropped her books, grabbed Spyro and wrapped him in a hug as she span around.

"THAT'S SO COOL! No wonder Master Eon made you a Skylander, you're just like the heroes in the games!"

"Well, it wasn't all me." Spyro weakly smiled and scratched the back of his head, "I had a lot of help, from lots of different friends."

"Oh, don't be so modest, you're pretty darn cool!" Chihiro squeezed Spyro tight before she let him go and picked up the books she collected, "Anyways, do you think we're close?"

"Well, I think we are, I kinda lost my train of thought telling all those stories," Spyro made an awkward shrug and looked back at Chihiro as he walked. However, he quickly came to a stop when he stepped on something, slipped and tumbled backwards.

"OWCH!" Spyro shook his head and looked down at the offending object—a metal lantern that was completely devoid of light.

Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she grabbed the lantern off the ground and examined it.

"I recognize that lantern! That's the one I was using before, well, it went out! Come on Spyro, we're on the right track!" Chihiro ran off with the lantern in tow, a new kind of energy born from her discovery.

And as Chihiro ran off, Spyro collected himself and flew after her, a slight smile on his face.

"Wait up, Chihiro!"

§

Whirlwind moaned as she staggered back up while a pounding headache encapsulated her. Her legs were sore from the fall, and she could barely move a muscle.

"Where am I?" Whirlwind whispered as she just barely lifted her head up and moved it around as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

However, it was near impossible—the room was completely dark save for the light that poured out from the hole above her, and her vision was so blurry that she could barely make up the room in front of her. All she could make out was the sky blue light of something else that glowed from the center of the room. As Whirlwind's vision returned to her, she quickly came to realize that this light was none other than the Eternal Air Source, which shone brightly in the center of the room!

"Oh, thank the Ancients, it's still here!" Whirlwind breathed a heavy sigh.

Just then, she heard a deep, bellowing scream as she looked up and saw something falling down from the hole above her! As if by instinct, she immediately cast a dense, fluffy cloud where she assumed the thing was going to fall. She then watched as Warnado came falling from above and landed onto the cloud with a grunt.

"You okay?"

Warnado rolled off the cloud, shook his head and looked back at her.

"I'm fine, Whirlybird. Thanks for catching me," Warnado said with an easygoing nod.

"No problem!" Whirlwind gently nudged Warnado with her wing before she looked back at the Eternal Air Source in all its majesty.

As they both looked it over, their eyes sparkled as they shivered from the raw power emanating from it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Whirlwind just barely whispered as her eyes glowed.

"Yeah, it's pretty and all, but we can't just stand around here and look at it!" Warnado summoned a tornado, "Time to get the Source!"

As he said this, Warnado flew on his tornado until he was directly under the Source. He then channeled his power combined with that of the Air Source, until his Tornado was now about half the size of the ones that were once running about outside. Then, with a smile he grabbed the Source!

"Gotcha!" Warnado beamed as he clasped the Eternal Air Source tight when he heard a loud rumbling.

"What the heck's going on?!" He and Whirlwind yelled in unison.

However, they could barely be heard over the rumbling, which got louder and louder. Just then, the part of the ceiling that was above Whirlwind crumbled and fell apart! Whirlwind had to run into the center of the building just to keep from getting covered in stones and loose pebbles. After she took sanctuary under Warnado, she ducked and covered her body with her wings.

Meanwhile, Warnado clutched the Eternal Air Source tightly in his arms, only for it to disappear! As he felt himself hugging empty space, he whipped his head around and found that the Source was gone!

"What the—what happened to the Eternal Air Source?!" he exclaimed as his tornado then vanished and he fell to the floor.

All while he screamed as loud as he could, Warnado retreated into his shell as he fell before hitting the floor and exiting his shell once again.

"What's going on?!" Warnado shook his head back and forth when heard a loud, ominous cackle and shuddered.

"Kaos."

As they spoke, a giant, blue, holographic head, complete with malevolent, heightened features, appeared out of nowhere! As it came into view, its largeness imposed onto the two to the point where it made them seem like ants, it cackled and looked down on them with a smirk pressed across its face.

"Looking for this, I presume?" Kaos asked as the Eternal Air Source in all its glory appeared and floated in mid-air!

Warnado and Whirlwind both gasped, before they stood tall and glared down Kaos.

"Give it back, Kaos! It doesn't belong to you—it belongs in the Core of Light!" Whirlwind shouted as she stepped forward and gave Kaos a dark stare.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Skyblunderers!" Kaos cackled as he raised his eyebrow, "I thought I banished you to the furthest reaches of the universe, never to be seen again!"

"It takes more than a fancy spell to get rid of us, knucklehead!" Warnado exclaimed, his eyes narrowed and ablaze with flames so furious his element could almost be mistaken for Fire.

"So it seems." Kaos groaned before he collected himself and sneered, "But, that won't last for long, as you fell right into my trap!"

"TRAP?!" Whirlwind and Warnado exclaimed at once.

"That's right! I, being the most brilliant evil genius there is, lured you here with the Eternal Air Source, and now that you're trapped here…" Kaos covered up the holes and other exits within the area with thick, rumbling storm clouds, "I'll have my minions finish you off!"

As he said this, Kaos closed his eyes and chanted some kind of incantation, completely oblivious to the now-tense Whirlwind and Warnado. As his chanting trailed off, three creatures appeared right in front of Whirlwind and Warnado!

The first one was psychically identical to Whirlwind in basically every way, save for the fact that it was made of pulsating evil magic. Its whole body was a dark purple in color while occasional veins of sky blue, air element magic coursed through it and throbbed against its body.

The second was made of magic similar to the first creature, but in the shape of a stout griffin with a large beak, feathery wings and clawed paws.

And the third was also made of the same evil magic as the first two, but was in the shape of a broad, muscular man with wavy, flowing hair and a soft, fluffy cloud where its legs would normally be.

"These things?" Warnado scoffed with a sneer, "We've beaten them more times than I can even count! Why do you think now will be any different?"

"You may be right, turtle." Kaos's voice dripped with poison as he glazed over the Eternal Air Source, "But have you fought them while they channeled the RAW, UNHINDERED POWER OF THE ETERNAL AIR SOURCE, THE ROOT OF ALL AIR ELEMENT MAGIC IN SKYLANDS?!"

And with that, the Eternal Air Source shone brightly and zapped the three minions—which in turn created a bright flash that covered all! When the light disappeared, the three minions glowed bright with a sky blue light and they seemed to radiate with raw strength so powerful it made everyone shudder.

"EVIL UNICORN DRAGON, EVIL GRIFFON, EVIL STORM TITAN, ATTACK THE SKYLOSERS!" Kaos sneered as his floating head faded away, "Have fun dying~"

Whirlwind and Warnado looked at each other and nodded before they charged up their respective powers and leaped out at the Evil Minions! In immediate response, the evil minions shouted out cries of war as well and leaped forwards.

The battle for the Eternal Air Source had begun.

§

Chihiro frowned as she gazed over the stone pathways before her and Spyro with a critical eye. Her legs were starting to ache from walking so much, and her arms were sore from carrying the heavy books she snagged from the library for so long. All in all, her whole body yearned for some rest. And that's just what she did as she immediately sat down and moaned, before she placed her stack of books next to her, flopped on her back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Think we can stop here, Spyro?" Chihiro asked, looking up at the stone ceiling.

She then looked over at Spyro and watched as he sighed and sat down next to her.

"I guess," he said in response, his voice worn from talking so much, "I've been feeling kind of tired, too."

Spyro then laid down on all fours and glazed over the books Chihiro had stacked next to her before he carefully ran a claw against the leatherback cover of the one on top.

"Why'd you pick up these books, anyway?"

"I dunno, thought they looked interesting, I guess." Chihiro shrugged slightly.

Spyro shrugged as well before he picked up the book on top of the stack, flipped it open and glazed over its pages. Of course, since the book was covered in grime and dust, as soon as he cracked it open dust flew out everywhere and caused him to cough uncontrollably. As the dust faded, Spyro glazed over the book's worn, yellowing pages. When he read over the rightmost page in particular, his eyes looked over a certain paragraph and widened. In one swift motion, Spyro slammed the book shut, tucked it under his front right leg and took back to the skies.

"Chihiro, do you have any idea what's in these books?" Spyro asked, absolute wonder in his tone.

Chihiro gave a side glance and shrugged again. She then jumped back and watched as Spyro magically levitated the remaining books with flashing purple eyes and brought them close to his side.

"Chihiro, we need to get these back to Hugo." Spyro flew ahead, the book he was reading still tucked under his leg.

"Why?" Chihiro dashed forward with confusion.

Spyro retrieved the book from under his arm and flipped back to the page he was on before showing it to Chihiro. The words were written in some kind of Skylandian text that Chihiro most definitely couldn't read, but the scribbled-in illustrations on the pages depicted some kind of object being placed into a machine, which caused the machine to become larger and more expansive.

"Now, I can't read the text itself—it's in Ancient Skylandian, which I'm not very fluent in." Spyro pointed a claw towards the scribbled illustration on the rightmost page, "But, this drawing here—I have a feeling that it's the Core of Light! See, this part is the base, and these are the Twin Spouts, at least from what I can make out…"

Chihiro half-listened to Spyro ramble on with a large, fake smile on her face.

_I don't understand a word he's saying, _Chihiro thought.

"Point is." Spyro closed the book and tucked it back under his leg, "I think this might have something to do with the Core, but we won't know for sure until we talk to Hugo. He studies these kinds of books all the time, and I bet he could translate this in no time!"

"So why are we standing around here?" Chihiro's eyes sparkling as she claimed the books floating next to Spyro and stacked them in her arms, "We need to get going!"

"Exactly!"

A wide, genuine grin spread across Chihiro's face as she strode forwards across the stone pavements.

"Chihiro, wait!" Spyro called out with a drip of warning in his voice as he flew to her side.

However, Chihiro didn't head his warning and ran face-first into a stone wall! As she moaned in pain, she slid down the wall and collapsed on the floor, her books straddled in a pile on her lap. As she rubbed her aching head, she looked over and saw Spyro fly towards her.

"I was gonna say there's a wall there." Spyro held out a paw and heaved Chihiro back up.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Chihiro picked up her books and stacked them in her arms once more, before she looked around the area and frowned slightly as she hummed, her mind busy at work.

_For that matter, wasn't I in this place before?… _Chihiro thought.

"Now, if I remember correctly," Spyro remarked as he looked over to a corner that turned to another open pathway, "If we take a couple more rights, we should be at the entrance of the citadel!"

"You think so?" Chihiro gave Spyro a curious gaze.

Spyro nodded firmly before he passed the corner as Chihiro dutifully followed him. The two of them walked in complete silence for the next several minutes, as they passed corridor after corridor and path after path. However, those minutes quickly turned to hours, and soon enough they were both starting to grow weary.

Spyro frowned as he looked at the pathway in front of him, while Chihiro stopped and frowned with him. It didn't seem like they had gotten any closer… Then, as they passed through another open path, their eyes glazed down at the stone floors and found that they had turned to wood! They both looked up and found themselves in an abandoned room they recognized all too well—Eon's personal study!

"We made it!" Chihiro exclaimed, a wide smile on her face.

"Not quite." Spyro gently took Chihiro's free hand with his free paw and lead her out of the study.

As they walked outside and sniffed in the fresh autumn air, Spyro and Chihiro both breathed sighs of relief before they sat down and gazed at the sky.

"I thought we were never gonna make it outta there." Chihiro laid the books next to her side.

"I almost thought the same thing." Spyro levitated the books next to Chihiro and took to the skies once again, "I'm gonna take these to Hugo—hopefully, he'll know something about them,"—Spyro turned around and went to fly away before he turned back and looked at Chihiro—"Do you wanna come?"

Chihiro nodded eagerly and skipped to Spyro's side before the two of them ran off…

§

Whirlwind screamed in pain as she was flung into the walls of the arena, before she fell back on her feet and shook it off. The battle had been nothing but an uphill struggle thus far—she and Warnado were throwing everything they had Kaos's minions, but the power of the Eternal Air Source made them far too strong.

Whirlwind then looked to her side and saw Warnado as he faced off against the Evil Storm Titan, who was charging up large lightning bolts and shooting them at Warnado. Warnado, meanwhile, was doing everything he could to avoid the Titan's shots and spun around so fast that Whirlwind could barely keep up.

Just then, out the corner of her eye, Whirlwind spotted none other than the Evil Griffon, who was flying fast and had a loud screech charged up with her eyes focused on Warnado!

"WARNADO!" Whirlwind shouted, her eyes focused on him.

Warnado turned around and immediately saw the Evil Griffon before spinning out of its path in just the nick of time!

The Evil Griffon had gone so fast that she couldn't fully stop, slammed straight into the Evil Storm Titan and sent them both flying into the stone walls surrounding them!

Whirlwind cheered, but only for a moment as she narrowly dodged another rainbow shot by the Evil Unicorn Dragon. As she breathed heavily, Whirlwind tried to charge up a rainbow of her own, her horn colored with multi-color sparks. In mere moments, she quickly shot a beam of hard light at the Unicorn Dragon and created a bright flash! Her eyes glistened for mere moments before the light faded and she saw the Evil Unicorn Dragon standing tall with not even a scratch on its body!

"WHAT!?" However, Whirlwind didn't have enough time to register this as she was shot in the chest with a bolt of lightning and collapsed.

"Whirlwind!" Warnado exclaimed as he looked back at her and then back at the Evils.

Warnado summoned a large tornado and narrowed his eyes. As he flew around on it, smaller tornadoes emerged from the larger one he was flying on and caused a huge storm! Warnado looked down smugly, only to find that the evil minions weren't affected at all!

In fact, they were standing firm through the storms before they flew up and met him at eye-level!

Warnado stood strong and got ready to attack before he was blasted with an ear-piercing screech from the Evil Griffon and flung into the wall near Whirlwind. As he hit his head against the wall, Warnado moaned and fell down next to Whirlwind. The two of them breathed heavily and tried their hardest to get back up, but their vision had blurred and the whole world seemed like it was going out on them.

_No, I can't go now… _Whirlwind thought as pain stung her eyes, _Not like this…—_Her vision still blurry, Whirlwind just barely nudged her head up and saw the storm clouds that brewed above her and Warnado—_If I could only get control of those storm clouds—They have the power of the Air Source, I can feel it. And If we had that power, then I could surely level the playing field…_

As her train of thought cut off, a small storm cloud floated down from the group and towards Whirlwind, then gently nuzzled her and slightly shocked her chin. Whirlwind's eyes widened and a weak smile crept across her face as she closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could on the storm clouds.

_Come on, little storm clouds, I need your help for a little bit, _Whirlwind thought as electricity crackled from her horn.

As she felt energy rush into her head and make her dizzy, a large bolt of lightning shot from her horn and struck the clouds which caused them all to come flying down to her side! Whirlwind smiled and panted as the clouds enveloped her and Warnado before she shot them with brightly-colored rainbows!

In response, clouds shifted in color from a dark gray to a pure white with a rainbow glow that grew brighter and brighter by the moment, a bright glow that served to confuse the surrounding minions.

Whirlwind smiled from within the safe barrier of clouds as she felt her strength come back to her! Her aching muscles seared with a power like never before and her heart beat fast from her energy being restored to her by the second. The clouds then faded away to reveal them as they stood up with a kind of energy that mirrored that of their enemies.

"Healing magic. Always comes in handy." Whirlwind flapped her wings proudly as she and Warnado looked at each other.

"Ready to wipe the floor with these guys?" Warnado asked, a cocky sneer on her face.

"You bet." Whirlwind furrowed her brow and smiled, then flared out her wings and barreled towards the Evil Minions as her body radiated with the energy of the Eternal Air Source.

The evil minions, meanwhile, all started panicking at once! The Evil Storm Titan and Evil Griffon quickly split off in opposite directions, which left only the Evil Unicorn Dragon to stand and watch helplessly as Whirlwind shot a bright rainbow straight into its chest! The Evil Unicorn Dragon went flying into the walls and slid down painfully with a helpless moan.

Whirlwind ran back up to where the Evil Unicorn Dragon was sitting and smirked as she lowered her head so that her horn was pointing straight at the Unicorn Dragon's chest.

"Watch out," Whirlwind hissed, "There's a storm rolling in!"

And with that, she shot a huge rainbow blast right at the Evil Unicorn Dragon, which cleared a clean hole in its chest and caused it to explode into thousands of bright lights! With a smug smile, Whirlwind watched as the lights shone dimly on the stone floor.

"Warnado! How're you doing?" Whirlwind shouted as she turned around.

Warnado, meanwhile, was chasing the Evil Griffon around the room and shot out powerful tornadoes with each step he took.

These tornadoes soared across the arena and gathered up bits of stone, dust and whatever else they picked up from the cold floors. With every object they collected turned into dangerous weapons within moments.

Of course, Warnado didn't notice this—he was took focused on making sure that he got that Griffon.

"You can run," Warnado shouted, "But you can't hide!"

Of course, this only made the Griffon quit running and fly away from the chaos! In a hot minute it took to the skies, its aim set for the large, gaping hole in the ceiling.

"But you can fly," Warnado moaned as he looked up and saw the Griffon in flight. He then shook his head and created a large twister underneath his shell. With a keen focus he took to the skies after the Griffon, his tornado grown taller and taller as he went higher and higher.

"It's a good thing I can, too."

And as Warnado chased after the Evil Griffon, the Evil Storm Titan was running around as well—as it was currently being chased by four tornadoes filled with rocks and dirt and all sorts of other things.

As the tornadoes drew closer and closer to the Storm Titan, it gulped and backed up… until it hit the cold stone of the arena walls and whipped around to find that it was cornered. It could only gulp as it looked at the tornadoes and let out a scream! It was tackled by all four tornadoes at once, then its screams grew muffled while it was returned to those same dark lights its fellow minions were made off.

In moments the tornadoes absorbed these lights—and something strange happened. They all grew darker and larger, before they combined with each other to become one huge tornado that now stormed in place.

Whirlwind looked over at where Warnado was chasing the Evil Griffon and flared her wings. Just as she went to fly to his aide, she saw the glowing lights next to her shoot over to the other side of the room out the corner of her eye! As she whipped her head over, she saw the lights absorb into another set of tornadoes, which then absorbed one another and transformed into another large, powerful tornado whose winds shook the world around it!

"Huh?" Whirlwind uttered before she looked up at Warnado once again, "WARNADO!"

But it was no use—he couldn't hear her over the howling winds of the tornadoes around. Instead, she felt herself slowly get pulled from the ground and her heart raced as she struggled to push past the winds. As she sharply breathed in, Whirlwind scrambled to get back on the ground before she raced past the tornadoes and towards the back end of the arena, where there wasn't a single one in sight. After she ran as fast as she could, Whirlwind took a seat down and panted

_What in the Ancients' name happened there?… _Whirlwind thought while the gears turned in her mind until her eyes shrank.

_Oh no._

As she breathed in, Whirlwind took to the skies and chased after Warnado and the Griffon.

"Warnado! Don't kill that thing!"

Once again, he couldn't hear her—instead, Warnado focused his attention on the Griffon as he got just close enough to it to get a shot in. With a sneer on his face, Warnado retreated into his shell, spun forwards with his shell propelled by the wind from his tornado and cleanly cut the Griffon in two! As he popped out of his shell and looked back to see the Evil Griffon dissolve, his sneer turned to a content smile.

"WARNADO!" Whirlwind shouted with a furrowed brow and angry stare as she flew to meet him.

"Whirlwind!" Warnado shouted back with a content look before he saw just how angry she was, "What's got you so angry?"

"Didn't you hear me?!" Whirlwind looked Warnado dead in the face, "I told you NOT to kill that minion!"

"What? Why?" Warnado tilted his head, his jaw agape.

"Because!" Whirlwind pointed back at the island, "Your tornadoes are absorbing the Air Source energy from their remains! If they get any more—"

Before she could say anything else, the dim lights raced back towards the tornadoes that formed back at the arena!

Within moments a huge tornado smashed through what little was left of the platform and raged! It slowly moved through the island and absorbed all in its wake as it grew larger and larger by the second, like something out of an action movie.

"WHAT THE—"Warnado's tornado was sucked into the larger one before he could even finish!

Whirlwind only had seconds to process everything as she dashed away from the tornado. She flew as fast as she could, like her life depended on this flight—which in all fairness, it kinda did. As she landed on a tall stone platform far away from the disaster, she panted as her heart raced from the shock.

"What am I going to do?!_" _Whirlwind exclaimed as she looked at the tornado with quivering eyes, "There's no way I can take down that thing, not when it's got all that power from the Eternal Air Source in it!"

Whirlwind fell down and stared helplessly at the Eternal Source-powered tornado. Her heart sank with every second that it raged through the archipelago. This was it, it was all over now. This is where she… where everyone, were all going to die.

As Whirlwind looked over it one last time, she hung her head. They failed. _She_ failed_. It was too late now. _She hated to say it or even think it, but she was doomed.

Whirlwind basked in her self-defeat for mere moments until she heard the raging winds once more and looked up to find that the tornado was quickly approaching her! In a panic, she took to the skies and sought refuge within a large, puffy cumulus cloud as she looked down at the wreckage.

_If it keeps going, the whole place'll be in ruins! And not to mention it'll kill everybody still on it! _Whirlwind grasped onto the cloud as her heart pounded, _I've gotta stop it—no, I can't stop it, what am I thinking?! In fact, if I had actually gotten there in time—_Whirlwind then shook her head—_No, stop thinking like that. I've gotta focus on what to do, but what can I do?! It's not like could throw some storm clouds at it, that would probably just make it stronger! And I don't think—_

Whirlwind looked to her side and saw a bright, shimmering rainbow peer out from a puffy white cloud, then basked in its colors!

_My healing rainbows! _Whirlwind's heart slowed down as she took in the cloud, _That's right! If I could use those to purify those storm clouds back at the tower, surely I could use them to heal the tornado… But how would I get them there? Or make them strong enough to even stand a chance?_

Whirlwind looked down at the puffy clouds she was laying on, squished it for a few moments and smiled. While her eyes sparkled with faint hope, Whirlwind got up from the cloud and zipped across the skies! She gathered up all the clouds she could into one group and quickly zapped them all with rainbows fresh from her horn. As the clouds glowed in all sorts of iridescent colors, she smashed them together with utmost focus.

_I hope this will work, _Whirlwind thought as she watched the clouds she gathered grow bigger and bigger, _No, I KNOW this will work. Cause if it doesn't…_

Whirlwind then looked back at the slowly-raging tornado and winced while her mind raced with thoughts of disaster like before. As she stood frozen where she was, she looked down at her paws and shook her head, then took back to the skies and examined her work.

Thanks to Whirlwind, the cloud she once sat on had grown bigger and bigger, until it was roughly about the size of the tornado itself and shone brightly in all sorts of colors, like a large glowing cloud-shaped rainbow after the storm.

"Healing rainbows, you've gotten me this far, don't fail me now." Whirlwind's voice turned commandeering and strong while she pointed a claw at the tornado, "Go attack that tornado, now!"

The cloud immediately shot out of the skies and straight towards the large, raging tornado! As soon as it made contact, it was absorbed into the tornado! However, nothing seemed to happen, aside from the tornado coming to a complete stop.

Whirlwind bit her claw as her brow furrowed. Did it work?

All was quiet for those few seconds, until the tornado turned into a swirling rainbow vortex and exploded into a flash of light!

Whirlwind immediately shielded her eyes as the light covered her and everything around for several minutes. When she was able to open them again, Whirlwind shouted with glee and soared down to the islands—because the tornado was gone! As she glided around and made sure to dodge the stones and assorted broken building parts that were falling back into place, she saw a familiar chromatic green shell that fell down at an alarmingly fast rate!

With a gasp, she dashed over and caught the shell on her back with a loud grunt! She then landed on the ground and let the shell roll off her back. As she sighed with relief, Whirlwind turned around and saw Warnado pop out of his shell! As he groaned with sickness, Warnado turned around and looked at Whirlwind with bleary eyes.

"Whirlwind…" he moaned, "…Is that you?"

"You bet it is," Whirlwind replied as she stood tall and proud with a peaceful smile on her face.

Warnado shook his head and his vision returned to normal, he looked back at Whirlwind and smiled the widest grin he could!

"You're alright! And more importantly, you stopped that huge tornado!" Warnado rushed up to face her directly before he grabbed her front paw with his and fistbumped her, "THAT WAS AWESOME! YOU'RE AWESOME!"

"Yep, it was pretty impressive." Whirlwind chuckled and looked aside, "I'm just glad I was able to pull it off!"

"Well I'm glad that's over now." Warnado sighed, "Being in that tornado made me super dizzy—and this is coming from the guy who was hatched in one!"

"Well, it's not over quite yet," Whirlwind corrected as she looked over the island, "We still have to get the Eternal Air Source, after all."

Almost as if on cue, a bright shining blue light came falling from the skies as the Eternal Air Source fell right in front of Whirlwind and Warnado!

"Well, that was convenient."

Whirlwind smiled as she claimed the Eternal Air Source in her arms and held it tight before she looked back at Warnado.

"NOW it's over." Whirlwind flew a foot over Warnado's height, "Now let's get the Source back to the island. Well, once we find Flynn—"

"Whirlybird!" Shouted a booming voice from behind them.

Whirlwind and Warnado turned around and smiled—because there, hovering in his balloon behind them was none other than Flynn!

"Did you guys see that huge tornado?" Flynn asked with eyes as wide as dinner plates, "I almost thought you weren't going to make it! Of course, I, being Skylands' greatest pilot, didn't worry at all about making it out of the storm and—"—Flynn then looked at the Eternal Air Source in Whirlwind's arms and did a double take—"Wait, is that the Eternal Air Source?"

"You bet it is!" Whirlwind stroked the Source with one paw, "And we went through a lot of trouble to get it, too."

"No kidding," chimed in Warnado with a sagely node.

"Hmmm… It's a lot smaller than I thought it'd be." Flynn looked over the Source for a few moments and cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, that doesn't really matter." Whirlwind flew up to the balloon and gently dropped into its basket, "All that matters now is that we get it back to the island."

Flynn pulled a lever and watched as the front panel of the balloon's basket fell down and turned into a ramp.

"Hop in then! Being the great pilot that I am, I can guarantee a completely smooth ride back!"

"Trust me, that's definitely what we need," Warnado said as he walked up the ramp and took a seat in the basket.

Flynn pushed the level back up and the ramp folded back up. Then, after he pushed some buttons and pulled some more levels, the balloon went flying off…

§

As the balloon seated itself back in the heart of the island, the basket opened once more and she, Warnado and Flynn all exited. When they all left the basket, they found that all eyes were on them as everyone who was bustling about in the heart stopped in their tracks and looked at them.

"So," said a familiar voice as Spyro moved past the crowd and towards Whirlwind, "How'd it go? Were you able to get it?"

"See for yourself," Whirlwind said as she extended her right wing and the Eternal Air Source hovered out from behind her back!

Everybody who was crowded around them chattered and whispered in excited voices.

"You did it!" Spyro exclaimed as he smiled widely while his eyes glistened with joy. He then looked over the Eternal Air Source and trembled from basking in its raw power, before he pushed himself to grab it and hold it tight.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take this to Hugo." Spyro took to the skies and flying off.

As he looked back, he saw the others crowd around Whirlwind and Warnado as they regaled their perilous journey to get the Source back before he heaved a sigh.

"Wow, I almost can't believe it— I'm holding the Eternal Air Source in my own two paws!" Spyro said as he held the Air Source tighter.

He then flew towards a large, stone building and quickly darted through its open door. As he flew further, his smile turned to a frown.

"But, if the Core hadn't been destroyed in the first place, then I—no, WE wouldn't even have to worry about this in the first place!" Spyro's eyes began to sting with tears, "If I was actually able to stop all this, then the Core would still be here, Eon would still be alive—"

Spyro shook his head and kept flying until he saw an open door with a bright light and flew inside.

The room he entered itself was large and circular, with tons of wooden bookshelves stuffed with books and stray papers scattered about, and a messy floor covered in stray flyleaves and torn pages. In the center of all this mess was Hugo, who was standing on a wooden stool and reading the book Spyro gave him, which was placed on a tall wooden book stand. Chihiro, who had the rest of the books sat next to her in a stack, sat next to Hugo and watched him with focused eyes while she knocked her knees intently.

"Hugo—"

Before Spyro could say anything, Hugo jumped up from the stand and let out a cry of glee.

"EUREKA!" Hugo exclaimed as he fell off and hit his head on the floor. Hugo's glasses fell off his face and skid off to Chihiro's side, while Hugo himself laid face-first on the floor.

"…Ouch." Hugo staggered back up and peered around the room, his eyes squinted and likely unable to see anything other than a big blur.

Chihiro then picked up Hugo's glasses, walked over to Hugo and placed them back on his face.

"Thank you, Chihiro." Hugo gently dusted off his jacket as his vision refocused and he looked over to Chihiro.

"No problem!" Chihiro chirped as she looked over and saw Spyro standing in the doorway. Her eyes quickly lit up and a wide smile stretched across her face as she happily waved at him.

"Hi Spyro!" Chihiro noted the Eternal Air Source cradled in his front legs and her eyes grew even wider, "Is that?…"

"Yep, it's the Eternal Air Source in all its glory," Spyro affirmed as he held out the Source and watched it float towards the middle of the room.

Hugo's eyes sparkled as he watched the Source float in midair, before he ran towards Spyro and wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Spyro, this is amazing!" Hugo exclaimed as he practically crushed Spyro with his hug.

"Hugo, personal, space!" Spyro coughed while he caught breaths between each word.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Hugo quickly drew back from Spyro.

"It's alright." Spyro shook his head as he spoke, "Besides, if you wanna thank anyone, thank Whirlwind and Warnado. They're the ones who got the Source back."

"Well, regardless of who got it back." Hugo's eyes sparkles, "It's great that we got it back, especially because of latest discovery!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" Hugo then cleared his throat and walked back to the book stand, "You see, Spyro, I was looking through the book you gave me—"

"And?"

"You were right to believe it had to do with the Core!" Hugo took the book off the stand and showed its contents to Spyro, "This book contains the original blueprints and instructions to create the Core of Light, as written by the Ancient Elementals themselves!"

"REALLY?" Spyro's mouth spread into a wide smile, "That's amazing, Hugo! If we have that—"

"The we can use it to recreate the Core of Light!" Hugo placed the book down, clapped his hands and watched as the Eternal Air Source floated down into his open palms.

"Let's take the Source back outside," Hugo said as he then looked back towards Chihiro, "And Chihiro, you get the book and follow us out."

"Okie dokie, Huges!" Chihiro chirped as grabbed the book and trailed behind Hugo and Spyro…

§

Back in the heart of the island, everybody had gathered around Hugo, Spyro and Chihiro. The trio themselves stood in the heart of the island, the Eternal Air Source hovering next to them.

"Let's hope this works," Hugo quivered as he took the book from Chihiro's hands, opened it to a certain page and breathed in.

He then chanted in some kind of ancient Skylandian language, one that most around could only understand as complete gibberish. As he chanted, the book glowed with a light that grew brighter as Hugo spoke, until it was completely engulfed in light!

Then, the book shot a bolt of energy at the Eternal Air Source and caused it to shoot into the center of the island! As it hit the ground under it, the Source phased underground and disappeared! But nothing else seemed to happen…

"Did it work?" Hugo gulped and balled his hands into trembling fists.

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a yellow, circular stone platform formed over the place where the Eternal Air Source dove into! Two large, round stone objects with spouts for faces floated down on broken chunks of island before they landed on the ground, stepped off the chunks and flanked both side of the platform.

Everybody gasped and whispered excitedly as they saw this unfold before their very eyes!

"It worked! It worked!" Hugo turned around and tightly hugged Chihiro out of excitement.

Chihiro, meanwhile, joined in Hugo's shouts of excitement, before she picked him up and spun him around!

"The Eternal Air Source has been returned—nicely done," boomed a voice out of nowhere as everybody around stopped talking and looked everywhere.

"Wait, I think I know that voice!" Spyro exclaimed as he swerved around.

"You should, Spyro," boomed the voice once more as a pastel and translucent ball of shimmering light floated up from the stone platform and shone as brightly as it could against the darkening night sky, "I am your portal master, after all."

Spyro's eyes sparkled as he stood open-mouthed and in awe for a few moments,

"Master Eon!"

Spyro and the rest of the crowd all crowded on the platform around the ghost of what used to be Master Eon. Everyone all shouted and spoke at once, with others rendered speechless and unable to comprehend what was going on. With every passing moment, the chatter grew louder and louder while everybody bombarded Master Eon with questions.

"What happened to you?"

"How'd you come back here?"

"Are you really dead?"

Chihiro, meanwhile, started to feel tired and overwhelmed. The crowds were all pushing against her, their shouts were too loud and everything was just so, so, much. As she whimpered weakly, Chihiro sneaked her way out of the crowd only for the ghost of Master Eon to fly in front of her. With a soft gasp, Chihiro stared at Eon's ghost for mere moments. In a fit of curiosity she reached out to try and touch him only to pull back her hand.

"Are you, are you… Are you really Master Eon?" Chihiro sputtered, eyes wide in his presence.

Eon bobbed up and down, almost as if he was nodding.

Silence resonated for a few moments, before Chihiro forced herself to bow down her head in respect.

"I'm honored." She then stood up and clasped her hands together, before she watched as Eon floated closer towards her and seemingly examined her person.

"And who might you be, young one?" Master Eon asked.

Chihiro flushed red and kicked the grass with her feet. She then bowed yet again while her legs trembled from some kind of amazement.

"My name is Chihiro Hatsuki. I, I, I'm—"

"She's a portal master!" Hugo exclaimed as he barged into the conversation and pushed past Chihiro, "She brought the Skylanders back when Kaos banished them, and she reopened your portal network!"

"Quite impressive, young one." Master Eon chuckled.

"Oh, it was nothing." Chihiro chuckled and scratched the back of her head.

"Master Eon, how did you get back here?" Hugo asked as he looked Eon directly in the face (Or at least, what was probably Eon's face), "We all thought you were gone for good!"

"I thought I was too, Hugo," Master Eon said as his voice turned grim and he seemingly hesitated before he spoke again, "However, when you brought the Eternal Air Source back, my spirit was pulled from the depths of the afterlife by a strong magical force! I'm not entirely sure how I came back, but it seems that even in death, my work is not finished."

Master Eon then returned back to Chihiro and watched as she chuckled and avoided his line of sight.

"You have great magical potential, young Chihiro, but you still have a long way to go before you can truly be considered a portal master. For the time being, Hugo and I will mentor you. Right, Hugo?" Master Eon turned back to look at a shocked Hugo, who quickly nodded.

Chihiro nodded slightly and gulped. Wait, mentor her? Did he really just say that?

And with that said, Master Eon floated away from Hugo and Chihiro and went to address the Skylanders.

"Now, we had better rest for now. That was a very big day we had."

The Skylanders all murmured in agreement and everybody parted their separate ways. As they all began parting, Master Eon floated over towards Spyro until they were standing side-by-side.

"Spyro, it seems that I have much to catch up on," Master Eon said, "Would you please inform me of what happened while I was gone?"

"O-of course, Master!" Spyro said as he nodded firmly.

Master Eon chuckled as he and Spyro walked over to the portal network building…

§

"And that should be everything up to now," Spyro said as he and Master Eon's ghost walked through the barren halls of the building.

"Oh, my," was all Master Eon said, a cold silence echoed through the hallways.

The only sound was the sound of Spyro's pawsteps, which seemed hollow and cold like everything around them.

"If Kaos was able to conquer so much of Skylands while I was gone—"

"Don't blame yourself, Master," Spyro retorted, his tone solemn and laced with slight bitterness, "Apparently time passes a lot faster back on Earth. If I—I mean, we hadn't been gone for so long, then maybe he wouldn't have taken over as much as he could. Heck, if I—I mean, WE, had WE actually been able to stop him, then maybe none of this would have never happened! In fact, if I had actually just, just…"

Spyro hung his head slightly and let his wings droop to his feet.

"Spyro? You seem to be acting strangely," Master Eon asked, concern in his voice as he floated close to Spyro, "Is something troubling you?"

"It's nothing, Master." Spyro heaved a sigh.

Master Eon seemingly frowned as he looked over Spyro, before he cleared his throat and speaking once more.

"If you say so, Spyro," Master Eon said, "So, about this book you found in my citadel's hidden library—"

"Actually, I didn't find it—It was Chihiro."

"You mean, the young portal master?"

"I'll tell you the whole story on the way to the barracks."


	6. Chapter 6

**Whew, I'm so glad I was able to get this chapter out! Let me tell you, this took me a LOT of time to get it to a point I was happy with! Anyways, please enjoy what's currently CHS's longest chapter!**

**Watch Seeker: To answer your questions, my plan is to sort of rotate between which Skylanders get focus each chapter, to ensure that everyone gets a chance to shine! So yes, they'll show up later!**

**Guest: Thank you for the kind words! For starters, I'm very glad that you were able to pick up on Chihiro being neurodivergent—I was a little worried it wasn't apparent enough, but it seems I was mistake! Your ideas are quite interesting, but all I can say for now is to just keep reading to see where it goes!**

* * *

It was a crisp, surprisingly warm autumn morning in the Skylanders' corner of Skylands, and the whole island bustled with a newfound life. The Skylanders ran to and from missions, seemingly filled with a new energy thanks to Master Eon's return, and their allies were no different as they managed their daily tasks and jobs. Even the stray wildlife bustled with vigor as they went about their humble existences!

And as for Chihiro, she had important duties of her own—she and Hugo had arrived at Master Eon's now somewhat repaired citadel to discuss things of an important manner.

"There you two are!" Master Eon said as he hovered off of a worn chair, "Please, take a seat."

Hugo and Chihiro nodded, then looked around until they saw two half-broken chairs behind them, shrugged, and took their seats. As they got comfortable, their eyes glazed over the study.

The area had been tidied up some since Chihiro's last adventure there—the rubble and debris from the battle with Kaos had been mostly cleaned up, with only dirt-streaked floors and walls with disheveled pictures left behind. While some of the furniture had been magically repaired, many old tables and chairs were still split in half or covered in dust, but compared to how it used to look it was certainly an improvement—even if all the upset dust made Chihiro want to sneeze.

"Now, Chihiro, as I mentioned yesterday night," Master Eon said as he floated up from his chair and towards Chihiro, "There are still a lot of things you must know about being a portal master."

"Yeah, I get that," Chihiro remarked as she nodded weakly. Something about being with Master Eon after hearing so much praise about him made her feel… A bit small, for lack of a better phrase.

"And of course, I will be your teacher." Master Eon circled around Chihiro before he flew off, "Now, while there are many things you should know about being a portal master, our dire situation currently calls for some more… Hastened lessons,"—Master Eon then floated towards the stairs near the entrance—"Hugo, Chihiro, come follow me."

Hugo and Chihiro quickly complied as they followed Master Eon up the stairs. While the staircase itself was worn and full of holes—Chihiro herself nearly fell down a few—it was stable nonetheless. After a short trip up, they found themselves on a wooden platform filled with shelves upon shelves of books. The whole area was covered in minimal debris, with dust all over the floors and small piles of rocks gathered in distant corners, but seemed fairly clean overall.

Not sure what else to do, both Hugo and Chihiro stood at the top of the staircase and watched Master Eon.

Master Eon, meanwhile, flitted to and fro among the bookshelves and gathered as many books as he could.

"Now, where did I put that book?…" Master Eon said as he looked over a shelf quickly, "A-ha! There it is!"—He then magically levitated a book off of the shelf and onto his pile before he floated back to Hugo and Chihiro—"Now, follow me."

After a short trip back down, he had taken his seat back in his favorite chair and laid the books down on a wooden table in front of him.

Hugo and Chihiro then took their seats as well and watched as Master Eon levitated the book on top of the pile and showed it to them. It had a leather-bound, dark indigo cover, a picture of a portal engraved on its front and something written in ancient Skylandian characters that Chihiro couldn't recognize underneath that portal. Something about it seemed to radiate with an aura of importance…

"This book is a guidebook of sorts for new portal masters." Master Eon laid the book back down onto the table, "It covers all of the basic things you'll need to know."

"What about the other books?" Chihiro asked as her chestnut eyes glazed the dusty stack of books over.

"Those will be saved for a later time, young one." Master Eon floated towards Chihiro and cleared his throat.

"Young Chihiro, starting from today, you will be my apprentice—if you choose so." Master Eon's voice turned clear and firm, "The life of a true portal master is far from easy—you are responsible for protecting not just Skylands, but the universe as a whole from evils far beyond you or I's imagination,"— Master Eon spun around Chihiro—"It's a very dangerous and important job. You will face great dangers, perilous missions, and truly depraved villains who will stop at nothing to stop you and your allies—even if it means taking your or others' lives. Do you understand this?"

Chihiro's heart pounded furiously as she nodded slightly. A part of her heart couldn't help but feel concern as she heard Master Eon's speech, as if she had maybe gotten herself into a bigger problem than she thought, but she couldn't just leave! She came way too far to stop now! So, she grasped the arms of her chair tight with sweaty palms and an anticipating heart.

"Now, the decision you will make here is not one to be taken lightly." Master Eon stared her straight in the face, "Young Chihiro Hatsuki, do you wish to become a true portal master?"

Master Eon then withdrew from Chihiro's face and flew back to his chair

"Give yourself some time to think, young one."

Chihiro looked down at herself for mere moments as her brain throbbed, Master Eon's words resonant in both her heart and her mind.

_You heard him, you could die! _Chihiro sucked on her lip and closed her eyes. _Are you sure you really wanna do this? You've seen the kind of danger they get into—and if you died here, nobody back home would know what happened to you! And besides, how can you handle the stuff he did? He's some great ancient master, you're just some kid from Earth! You don't even know how to fight! Surely he could—_

_**No, he's dead! How could he do anything about this?! **_Chihiro stopped short and made a stern frown as she opened her eyes.

_I came here for a reason, and it was to help my friends save the universe! They need me, this whole world needs me… If Kaos could cause so much trouble to just one village, just one place, imagine what he could do to the entire universe! Imagine what he could do to my home! And like it or not, I'm the one who found the Skylanders, I'm the one who came to Skylands—and I'm the only person who can fill these shoes._

Chihiro then breathed in and stood tall, a fist clutched to her chest. Something in her heart made her feel as if this moment was something the entire universe aligned for, as if she was born to say these words, to feel these feelings, to live in this very moment! Yes, her destiny awaited her, right here, right now!

_It's time to be a hero, Chihiro Hatsuki._

"I do, Master Eon," Chihiro stated with a surprising amount of firmness as she looked Master Eon in the eye.

Her gaze trailed back to Hugo, who stared at her with shocked, withdrawn eyes, as if he was taken aback by the sheer amount of resolve that radiated off of her person.

But Master Eon, however, only chuckled.

"Very well then, young Chihiro." Master Eon floated towards Chihiro's side, "We will now begin our training—"

"Actually," Hugo butted in, "I hate to interrupt, but we still need to send the Skylanders out on morning patrols."

"Huh?" Chihiro uttered before she shook her head, "Oh, right, still need to start daily patrols."

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot," Master Eon remarked while he levitated the stack of books so that they hovered beside him, "Hugo, lead us to the portal room."

"Understood, Master Eon," Hugo said as he walked out of the citadel, Master Eon and Chihiro both diligently trailed behind him.

§

After a short walk, Master Eon, Chihiro and Hugo had arrived in the portal room.

There, most of the Skylanders were crowded around the area and talked among themselves while they were waiting for missions to start. The air brewed with a kind of tranquil energy, like the calm before a big race's beginning or the moments before the start of a big sports game.

"Thank you for your patience, everyone!" Hugo announced as he cleared his throat and pulled a list out of his pocket while the room went silent, "Before I say anything else, Master Eon has a very important announcement for all of us."

Hugo drew back and let Master Eon take center stage.

"Thank you, Hugo," Master Eon said before he cleared his throat and shone bright, "Now, as for my announcement…"—Master Eon then looked back at Chihiro while she walked to his side —"As of now, I have formally taken Chihiro under my wing as an apprentice. During her stay here, she will study the ways of a true portal master under Hugo and I's watchful eyes."

Shouts of joy resonated from the crowd, and some even pumped their fists in the air.

Chihiro giggled nervously, her cheeks flushed red from a mixture of embarrassment and sheepishness.

_Man, I'd expect Master Eon to be super serious about this whole true portal master business, _Chihiro thought as she looked away, _but I didn't think everybody else would make such a big deal about it._

"Now, I trust that you will treat her with respect and aid her as necessary." Master Eon drew back as the crowd came to silence and allowed Hugo to take the stage once more, "Hugo, you may take over from here."

Hugo cleared his throat, looked over the piece of paper in his hands.

"Okay, first things first—Stealth Elf, Stump Smash, you've been assigned to the Perilous Pastures," Hugo proclaimed before he visibly shuddered, "To deal with, _ugh, _an outbreak of evil magic-infested sheep."

"Understood, Hugo," Stealth Elf remarked as she and Stump Smash walked out from the crowd.

Stealth Elf was a skinny, pale green-skinned elven girl with long blue hair that was tied into a braid and blank white eyes. She wore a crop top, fingerless gloves with golden buckles, a sash that was slung across her waist, trousers and boots all in shades of rich brown, and had twin curved blades clasped in her right hand. She had one hand on her waist while the other laid limp, and her head was slightly tilted as she gave Hugo a cold look. Next to her was Stump Smash, a large, brown and green tree ent who had black and yellow eyes and large mallets for hands. He had a deep frown on his face, and both his arms were crossed.

"Chihiro." Hugo looked at Chihiro, "Could you send them off?"

"Sure thing, Huges!" Chihiro chirped with a firm nod as she joined Stealth Elf and Stump Smash.

The three of them then walked over to a nearby portal, with the sound of Hugo making his other announcements only a faint notion in the back of their brains.

"Congratulations, Chihiro!" Stump Smash said as he gently nudged Chihiro with one of his mallet hands, his deep frown from earlier cracked into a small, playful smile, like a parent congratulating their child.

"Oh, it's no big deal. Master Eon's just mentoring me until I'm good enough to go in the fields with you guys, nothing to get all excited about," Chihiro giggled as she scratched the back of her head.

"To you, maybe," Stealth Elf interjected as she pushed past Stump Smash, "But Master Eon's the greatest portal master of his generation—getting to be his apprentice is a huge honor."

"Really?" Chihiro asked as she placed a hand to an o-shaped mouth.

Stealth Elf nodded firmly and made a soft grunt, as if to affirm her statement.

"Of course, you'll be working pretty hard—Master Eon took his work very seriously and I imagine he'll expect you to as well." Stealth Elf cast a dark aside glance, "Especially with how things are with Kaos."

"Well, I'll be ready for it!" A fire burned in Chihiro's eyes as she stared directly at Stealth Elf and balled her hands into fists, "If I'm gonna protect this place, I've gotta be the best there is! I'm not gonna stop until I'm good enough to help you guys fight Kaos!"

"See, you're already starting to sound like a true portal master." Stealth Elf chuckled, "Keep that attitude up, and you'll be working with us in no time."

"Okay, all this chit chat is nice and all," Stump Smash moaned as he gave both Stealth Elf and Chihiro a testy glare, "But shouldn't we be going to Perilous Pastures instead of making small talk?"

"Aah, Stumps has a point," Chihiro said as she walked over to the portal and stared down at it, "I'll go get the portal set up."

Chihiro breathed in and clasping her hands against the portal's stone rim. As she held it tighter, she focused on the thought of Perilous Pastures in her head, before she exhaled and let go. The portal shone bright, and Chihiro peered down to find the image of a field covered in rampaging sheep reflected on its surface.

"There's your ride, guys." Chihiro moved to the side and stretched her arms towards the portal.

Stump Smash and Stealth Elf both nodded in unison before they both immediately jumped onto the portal and vanished in a flash.

After she watched them disappear, Chihiro nodded firmly before turning around.

"Alright, who's next?" Chihiro shouted with confidence.

Several voices shouted out from around the room. Phew, they had a lot today— better not wait around. Chihiro heaved a sigh and ran across the room. She then came towards the next group, which consisted of Gill Grunt, Terrafin and Eruptor.

All three of them were talking among each other with arms crossed, but as soon as they saw Chihiro their eyes sparkled.

"Hey, there's the new apprentice on the block!" Terrafin shouted as he walked over to Chihiro and playfully ruffled her hair, "How's it feel being Master Eon's understudy, kiddo?"

Chihiro giggled and lifted Terrafin's hand off of her head.

"I don't know, not really that different, to be honest," Chihiro remarked with a playful shrug.

"Well, once Master Eon puts ya through the ringer, you'll be singin' a different tune." Terrafin drew his hand back and gave Chihiro a toothy grin.

"Anyways, where are you guys headed?" Chihiro gave them an attentive gaze.

"We were assigned to the Flaming Forest," Gill Grunt said as he walked up to Chihiro, "Kaos's trolls were making a ruckus over there, apparently."

"Apparently," Chihiro echoed as she cast an aside glance then smiled, "Well, stand back—I'll get the portal running."

And with that, Gill and Terrafin parted ways and allowed Chihiro to walk over towards the portal behind them.

Chihiro skipped over to the portal, closed her eyes and clasped her hands against the stone rim of the portal. With a whoosh, it was activated in moments, its surface now reflected with the image of a forest of trees that burned with bright blue flames.

"Wait, are those trees supposed to be burning like that?" Chihiro asked, concern in her voice as her brow furrowed.

Gill Grunt nodded before hopping on the portal.

"Good luck, Chihiro!" Gill Grunt shouted as the portal flashed with bright light and he disappeared from view.

As Chihiro, Terrafin and Eruptor watched Gill disappear, Terrafin turned around and patted Chihiro on the back. Terrafin and Eruptor then hopped on the portal and disappeared as well before the portal's lights dimmed and only faintly shone, now an echo of what they used to be.

_Well, two down, a ton more to go. _Chihiro skipped away towards the next group, _Better not stand around here…_

And with that, she bounced between the other Skylander groups and sent them away as well. Most of them greeted her with congratulations on her new position, or warnings about the lessons she'd have to learn or the big shoes she'd have to fill, or some tips on what to do. But of course, the main topic was all the same—her apprenticeship with Master Eon.

As she whisked away the last group of Skylanders, Chihiro bit her lip.

_Man, this apprenticeship is a lot more important than I thought it was, _Chihiro pondered as she felt her chest grow a little tighter than normal, _Guess I'm just gonna have to do my best! I've got an important job now, and I can't let everyone down!_

"Chihiro!" Hugo called from the back of the room.

Chihiro then jolted out of her thoughts and whipped her head around to see Hugo! He stood at the front of the room while Master Eon hovered beside him.

"Coming!" Chihiro shouted as she ran across the portal room, with extra care taken so as to not to run into any of the portals in the process.

"Was that the last one?" Hugo asked and then watched as Chihiro nodded.

"Good," Master Eon interrupted as he floated towards Chihiro, "Now, why don't we all go back to my Citadel? We can begin your formal training there."

As all three of them walked out of the portal room and through the cold stone hallways, Chihiro frowned deeply as she looked at Master Eon and then back at herself.

"So, Master Eon, what're we gonna do first?" Chihiro asked.

"Well, first, we are going to return to my citadel," Master Eon replied with not a peek back taken.

"Yeah, I know that, but I mean like lesson-wise—what are we starting with first?"

"Well, normally we'd start with opening portals, but you seem to have already mastered that. Once we arrive at the Citadel, I'll tell you what we shall start with first."

_So much for prepping beforehand, _Chihiro thought as she looked away from Master Eon and rolled her eyes, then gave Hugo a curious gaze.

"And I've been meaning to ask, why's Hugo tagging along?"

"Tagging along?" Hugo echoed before he shook his head, "I'm not just tagging along, Chihiro. As Master Eon's personal assistant, I aid him in all his endeavors—running errands, deciphering ancient texts, locating villains, grooming his impressive beard—"

"But… He doesn't have a beard." Chihiro looked above Hugo and towards Master Eon.

"Well, back when he was alive, anyways." Hugo went solemn and looked down at his feet.

Chihiro inhaled sharply and looked away. Eesh, must've touched a bad topic—she should shut up now. When she looked over, she saw that they had finally left the portal area and were inside the heart of the island once more.

It was a quiet, short journey back to the citadel from the portal building. There weren't many people within the heart itself—just them, the few Skylanders that were slated to guard the island, and Cali, who was messing with the Far-Viewer as she attempted to locate the next component of the Core of Light. The air was crisp and clean, and the only sounds you could hear were birds chirping and the few inhabitants of the island talking among themselves. Chihiro couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by how peaceful it was. It was like something was waiting to go wrong at any moment!

But thankfully, everything stayed peaceful as she, Hugo and Master Eon arrived at the citadel once more. Hugo opened the doors before they found themselves in the sitting room and took their seats. As they did this, Master Eon hovered around the table before he lifted up the indigo-spined book and showed it to Hugo and Chihiro once more.

"As I was saying before," Master Eon explained, "This book contains all the basics about being a portal master. Normally the curriculum is more extensive, but due to our dire circumstances, we've had to do some adjustments."

"What kinds of adjustments?" Chihiro asked as she leaned forward.

Hugo hopped out of his seat and joined Master Eon.

"Last night, while you were sleeping," Hugo explained, "Master Eon and I worked on condensing the material in this book! If all goes as planned, you should be able to complete your training within a few weeks!"

"A few weeks?" Chihiro repeated, a smile on her face as she leaned back and sighed with relief, "At least I won't be stuck training for months."

"Now, don't get the wrong idea." Hugo he wagged a finger, "Just because it's shorter doesn't mean it's easier. You'll have to do a lot of training over the course of the week, and it will be very tedious."

"What Hugo says is correct," Master Eon added as he floated towards Chihiro, "There will be many tasks that will require all of your strength and willpower, questions that will require you to call upon everything you know, and tests that will exhaust every skill, power and bit of knowledge you own. If you want to pass, you must be willing to push yourself towards your limits, and maybe even past them if necessary."

Chihiro gulped and tugged on her jacket. Dang, this sounds pretty tough—what if she can't pass?

"But do not fear." Master Eon's tone turned reassuring, "Hugo and I will mentor you every step of the way. If you have any questions, come to either one of us."

Chihiro then smiled and breathed a sigh before she bounced out of her chair.

"So, now where do I start?" Chihiro beamed back at Master Eon, a bit of her worries taken away.

"I will show you." Master Eon hovered over to the upper half of the room, "Follow me.

Chihiro nodded and diligently followed Master Eon up the stairs. When they both reached the top, she found herself in the library room once more, though its mess seemed much more noticeable than it did when she was first there. She then turned to her side and watched Master Eon flip the book open.

"Hugo." Master Eon turned to Hugo.

"Ah, yes!" Hugo chirped as he turned to Chihiro, "Now, over the course of your training you will be faced with ten Portal Master Examinations to test your abilities and judge whether you will be able to learn more advanced subjects—for the first examination, you will be expected to successfully perform the Ten Basic Spells—"

"Wait, hold up," Chihiro said as she tilted her head and frowned, a finger pressed against her mouth, "Ten Basic Spells? You've lost me,"—Chihiro turned to Master Eon—"Master Eon, what's he talking about?"

"Well, young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated to Chihiro's view, "The Ten Basic Spells are ten simple spells taught to every magic user as soon as they're old enough to cast a spell. Regardless of element, anyone who practices magic should know these spells—they're the cornerstones of every spell you will ever come to learn, and if you can master them, you can master even the toughest enchantments."

"Sounds about right," Chihiro remarked as she nodded her head in understanding.

"You will practice on all this debris that is scattered around my citadel." Master Eon floated away from Chihiro, "I will show you how to perform the spell, and you will then perform it yourself. Do you understand?"

Chihiro nodded firmly.

"So, what do we start with?"

Master Eon hummed as he seemingly glazed around his library—it was kinda hard to tell, what with him having no eyes and all—before he seemingly stopped on a simple rock. His soft hums faded, Master Eon cleared his throat.

"Size manipulation," Master Eon proclaimed as he floated over to a rock the size of a basketball, "In other words, making things shrink and grow."

Master Eon focused his attention on the rock, then made it glow with a cyan light. In moments, the light expanded so that the rock glowed with the light of a fresh lightbulb, then disappeared entirely when the light faded!

Chihiro and Hugo both gasped, then watched as a small cyan light lifted up from the ground and floated towards Chihiro! Chihiro snagged the light out of midair and looked into her palms to find that within its glow was that same rock, but now the size of a pebble.

"Now, you try, young Chihiro." Master Eon floated behind Chihiro and gently nudged her back, as if prompting her to go forwards, "Just focus on the object you want, and imagine it in a smaller state. The transformation should take place instantaneously!"

Chihiro made a chirp and nodded before she skipped up to another basketball-sized rock.

_Okay, you heard what Master Eon said, _Chihiro thought as she cracked her knuckles, _Just imagine that rock shrinking down to the size of an itty-bitty ladybug!… Or something._

Chihiro took a deep breath in, then focused her whole mind on the rock and her image of its tiny transformation.

_After all, the universe is counting on you! You can't afford to screw up!_

Chihiro remained ever-silent as she envisioned the tinier rock, her heart a'skip with excitement. Finally, she just couldn't take the anticipation anymore and popped open her eyes!

"Did I do it?" Chihiro asked with an eager smile… Than quickly turned to a disappointed frown as she saw that the rock remained the same size as ever.

"Don't be downtrodded, young Chihiro," Master Eon encouraged, "Not everyone can get spells right on the first try! Just try again!"

Chihiro nodded as she closed her eyes and tried again, her mind a little shakier this time than before. She hadn't expected it to be this tough… But surely she could get it right this time, right?

Nope—when she opened her eyes it was still the same.

"Well, third time's the charm, right?" Chihiro trilled as she went back to practice.

But as it turned out, third time wasn't the charm. Neither was the fourth… Or fifth… or ninth…

"I'll be downstairs tidying things up if you need me," Hugo sighed as he walked down the stairs.

Chihiro flinched as she heard the sound of Hugo's footsteps. Great, she messed up so many times she got them bored, surely she has to do something right now!

"ROCK, JUST CHANGE SIZES ALREADY DANG IT!" Chihiro screamed at last.

Chihiro felt a harsh light on her face and peeped her eyes open. Had it worked? Her mouth broke into an expectant grin as the light faded… And then fell as she realized that she hadn't made the rock shrink!

In fact, it had grown at least two sizes.

"Well… You were able to perform it…" Master Eon trilled as he floated closer to a trembling Chihiro.

"DANG IT!" Chihiro screamed as she tugged on her hair, "Now what am I gonna do?!"

"Well, we could practice another spell to rid ourselves of this debris…"

"Huh?" Chihiro let go of her hair and looked over at Master Eon.

"Levitation. Just focus on the thing you wish to levitate, and imagine it being lifted into the air." Master Eon replied focused on a small rock that laid in front of them, right next to Chihiro's rock. Silence echoed throughout the room for mere moments before the rock floated in the air!

Chihiro gasped in awe before she clapped firmly, then saw Master Eon levitate the rock towards a side corner of the room and lay it down.

"Now it's your turn." Master Eon flew further from Chihiro, "Take that rock next to you and levitate it next to mine."

Chihiro then turned around and saw her rock, was now about the size of an old-timey box computer monitor next to her feet, smiled and turned so that her whole body faced it. With a crack of her knuckles, she screwed her eyes shut while her mind painted a picture of the rock next to her floating in the air, like a ballerina or a giant bird. As she breathed in, she kept focusing and focusing until she felt a surge of magic and peeped an eye open…

To find that the rock hadn't moved an inch.

Chihiro heaved a sigh, she sat down, crossed her legs and focused once more.

_C'mon rock, float! _Chihiro thought, her eyes trained on her feet as she stewed in her mind and felt a glow.

She then looked up and saw that the rock was now floating just an inch above the floor! Chihiro jumped out and let a squeal of glee, but this momentary rush had been her downfall—as it caused her to lose her concentration and caused the rock to fall back down. And it didn't just land on the floor, no—it landed straight THROUGH the floor, making a decently-sized hole in the process.

Chihiro gulped and giggled nervously as she knelt down and looked inside the hole, while Master Eon immediately flew over and did the same thing.

There, the rock sat in a hollow room covered in dust, dirt and more rocks. However, despite its fall it seemed to be perfectly intact!

"Okay, just a little slip-up," Chihiro reassured herself more than anyone as she breathed, "I can do this, I can do this."

"WHAT HAPPENED?! DID KAOS ATTACK AGAIN?!" Hugo screamed as he raced upstairs with wide panicked eyes that soon trailed over to the decently-sized hole in the floor, "AND WHAT'S WITH THAT HOLE IN THE FLOOR?!"

"Young Chihiro just had a training mishap, Hugo," Master Eon explained as he floated over to Hugo, "It happens at times."

Hugo cringed as he continued to look at the hole and a very sheepish Chihiro before he made a worn sigh.

"I'll just go get the broom in case we have any more 'mishaps.'" Hugo walked back down the stairs and out of the citadel.

With a scoff, Chihiro shrugged Hugo off and continued to work. She focused until her head strained with stress as she tried to lift the rock up once more, and occasionally sneaked glances only to find that the rock either didn't move at all, or only budged an inch before it stood strong once more.

As she heaved a loud groan, Chihiro continued to focus her whole mind on the rock—but after several more attempts, she was no more successful than she was the first time.

"Young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated over to Chihiro's side and examined the motionless rock in the hole, "Maybe it's time for you to move onto something else?"  
"NO!" Chihiro shouted as she stood up straight and looked Master Eon in his glowing face, "I can do it, I just need to try again!"

She then fell back down to the floor and focused once more, all her raw determination poured into her mind. C'mon rock, move! Float! Bounce, for all anyone cared! Just do something!

Chihiro's brow grew more furrowed and her determined expression turned to a stern frown as she summoned every bit of magic in her bones. She inhaled, then exhaled and finally shot up and broke her hands apart before she raised her arms in the sky. Then, with a heave of a sigh and a fall on her back, Chihiro looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

"Did… I… Do it?" Chihiro panted, before she sat up and saw that no, she had not. The rock was still rested on the floor.

Chihiro made the loudest groan known to mankind and fell back onto her back.

"Okay… Maybe… I'll try something else…"

§

"So, Master, what's next?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head. She had finally recovered her exhausted energy, though her pride and confidence were of a different manner. Though surely, it was just a couple mistakes, right? This next one would probably go better…

"Channeling energy," Master Eon said before he breathed in, "I'd advise that you stand back for this one."

Chihiro quickly nodded and jumped back as Master Eon summoned all his energy and created a sphere of bright, white, energy. She then watched as he launched it at a large rock on top of the whole pile, which captured the rock and evaporated it into nothing.

"Now it's your turn, young one." Master Eon then floated away.

Chihiro nodded eagerly, hopped over to where Master Eon stood, then stared down the large pile of rocks and frowned. She placed her hands so that they faced each other and narrowed her eyes, a powerful fire brewed in her heart.

_Alright, all I've gotta do is create an energy sphere and shoot it, just like in the TV shows, _Chihiro thought with a smirk as she summoned every bit of magic energy in her body, _Come on, gimme an energy sphere, just like those ones in Hydra Sphere!_

Just then, a sphere of bright aqua magic energy formed between her hands! Chihiro smiled as she thrust it in front of her and watched as it slammed right into the center of the pile and exploded!

There was a flash so bright that Chihiro was forced to turn away, and small rocks flew everywhere—this whole place would surely be clean now!… But when Chihiro finally opened her eyes, she saw that the room she was in was even more of a mess than before!

Gravel and small pebbles were scattered all over the floor, the rocks that weren't blown up had been tossed all across the room, with some even lodged in the wall, and the place looked like a landslide had hit it!

Chihiro shuddered as she looked over her handiwork, a frown on her face as she realized how long cleanup would take.

"Well, I… I…" Chihiro put her hands together and pressed them against her lips a frown deepened across her face, "I think I might have made it worse. Whoops. Maybe I should have drawn inspiration from a different TV show."

"What's a TV?" Master Eon asked as he floated next to her.

"I'll explain to you later." Chihiro's frown turned to a blank expression as her shoulders slumped.

"Well, regardless." Master Eon floated away from her and examined the mess before them, "This does give me an opportunity to teach you your next spell—animation."

"Animation? Like a cartoon?"

"Whatever a cartoon is, that's not quite it," Master Eon corrected, "Animation as in bringing things to life, like this."  
Master Eon breathed in (Could a ghost even breathe?) and focused his energy towards a nearby rock, then watched as the rock started glowing and seemingly came to life!

The rock rolled around the room, found another rock and went back to laying down lifeless as it sat down next to the rock.

"Now, Chihiro—" Master Eon was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open.

"MASTER EON!" Hugo shouted as he jogged up the stairs with a tall broom that had a dustpan attached to it in his furry paw, "It took me quite a while, but I found the—"—Hugo looked over the mess before them—"…Broom."

"Thank you, Hugo," Master Eon said, no mind paid to Hugo's gaping mouth as he took the broom out of Hugo's hand and levitated it towards Chihiro, "Now, young Chihiro, do as I just did and bring this broom to life."

"Okay," Chihiro said as she grabbed the broom from Master Eon and stared it down.

_Let's see, how to make this broom come to life?… _Chihiro thought as she frowned deeply and stared the broom down, _Broom, clean up this mess for me!_  
Nothing.

Chihiro's shoulders slumped as she looked over the broom. That certainly didn't work. Was she forgetting something?…

"Oh, right!" Chihiro exclaimed as she closed her eyes and held the broom tightly in her grasp. Magic flowed through her whole body as she focused on the image of the broom coming to life and cleaning the room up for her.

"Okay." Chihiro raised her voice and grinned, "BROOM, TIME TO DO SOME CLEANING!"

The broom then glowed a bright aqua before it bounded out of Chihiro's hand… And promptly fell on the ground.

Chihiro only buried her face in her hands with a loud groan, then walked over to the broom, pointed her finger at it and gritted her teeth.

"Broom! Get off the floor and clean!"

But the broom didn't respond—it merely continued to sit on the ground. Its presence almost mocked Chihiro, with its inability to clean a reminder of her continued failure to perform any sort of magic.

"C'mon, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Chihiro's eyes started to water from frustration as she fell to her knees, "Two cherries? Three with lots of whipped cream and sprinkles too?"

Master Eon and Hugo only sighed.

"Abra cadabra alakazam!" Chihiro pointed at the broom, "Animus broomicus? Presto change-o? C'MON, GIVE ME SOMETHING, PLEASE!"

Master Eon then floated to Chihiro and gently rested his ghostly self on her shoulder.

"You seem awfully frustrated, young one," Master Eon remarked, "Perhaps you should rest for now?"

Chihiro sniffed and rubbed her eyes as her brow furrowed.

"I can get it," Chihiro insisted as she balled her hand into a fist, "I just need to try again!"

"Actually, Chihiro," Hugo interrupted, "We do need to change out patrols for the afternoon…"

As she heard Hugo's words, Chihiro made a weak, trembling sigh and trudged away. A feeling of doom and gloom emanated around her. She had failed practically everything she had tried—how was that even possible?

Hugo only made a frown as he trailed after Chihiro before he looked back at Master Eon.

"We'll be back soon, Master!" Hugo shouted before he went back to following Chihiro.

Master Eon only sighed as he watched her walk out of view.

§_A few hours later…_§

"Hugo, there you are!" Master Eon exclaimed as he saw Hugo walk through the doors of his citadels, "Please, take a seat. And where is young Chihiro?"

"Here I am!" Chihiro exclaimed as she raced through the door and practically bulldozed Hugo over.

Chihiro then jumped onto a nearby chair and sat crossed-legged on it before she looked back behind her.

"My poor, aching head," Hugo whined as he shot a dark glare at Chihiro.

Chihiro only giggled as Hugo's glare pierced into her soul before she looked away from him and towards Master Eon. Hugo, meanwhile, took the seat next to Chihiro and flopped down while he rubbed his head the whole time.

"Since you've been struggling with normal spells," Master Eon said as he flipped through the pages, "I figured that maybe another category of spells would be more your speed."

Chihiro's grin immediately faded as she clutched her sweatpants and looked down at her feet. She had just started to feel better, but then her failures had to come back and taunt her! She could feel her eyes sting as memories of her past attempts flared into her mind…

"A-ha!" Master Eon exclaimed, "Here we are—'_Combat Magic._'"

"Wait, you mean I get to learn how to fight with magic and stuff?!" Chihiro looked much more eager than she probably should've, "YES!"

Chihiro pumped a fist in the air and leaned back. Of course, this caused her chair to lean back further than it should've as well. As Chihiro realized she was losing her balance, she panicked and flailed her arms with hopes of regaining her balance—but, it was to no avail as the chair fell on the floor and she was sent rolling out of it.

In one swift motion, she rolled backwards and hit her head on the doors! When she finally came to a stop, Chihiro felt a sharp pain in her head and found a small welt growing on her scalp. Then, with a weak moan she rubbed her head, trudged back to the sitting area and propped her seat back up.

"Now, follow me," Master Eon said as he floated away.

"Wait, we aren't practicing in here?" Chihiro asked as she gave Master Eon a confused look.

"No! Not at all!" Hugo insisted with an absolutely terrified look, "We don't need this place getting even more destroyed than it already is!"

Chihiro hung her head and followed Hugo and Master Eon out of the Citadel. Her eyes occasionally bounced back and forth between the various areas of the island, but nothing kept her interest for too long. After all, she was far too preoccupied by her failure.

After a short walk, Hugo, Master Eon and Chihiro found themselves at a large, dome-like building colored in shades of blue, white and gold. As they walked up to the large, wooden doors, Chihiro tilted her head and frowned just slightly.

"Is this the place?" Chihiro asked.

"Chihiro, could you open the door for me, please?" Master Eon said as he seemingly nodded

Chihiro smiled and nodded before she skipped in front of Hugo and pushed open the large wooden doors looming before her. As the doors opened, she peered inside, frowned and tilted her head.

"I dunno." Chihiro looked back at Hugo and Master Eon, "It doesn't seem like there's anything in there."

"That's because the lights are off," Hugo said as he walked in, "Allow me."  
Hugo clapped his paws together and the room around them immediately lit up!

Chihiro peered inside once more, and her eyes sparkled as she took the area in.

Inside was a large dome with a dirt floor, and open, marble walls that had pictures of several of the Skylanders colored in striking dark blues and golds hung from them. The dome's ceiling was made of the same white marble that the walls were, and the whole place seemed to have something of a cold, empty feeling lingering around it.

"What is this place?" Chihiro whispered as her eyes darted back and forth.

"This is the training dome," Hugo explained as he snapped his fingers.

He, Chihiro and Master Eon then watched as a bunch of lifeless wooden training dummies sprouted up from the ground, each one tied down to a wooden stake in the ground.

"As you can guess, it's a place for the Skylanders to train and hone their abilities," Hugo explained as he walked forwards and watched more dummies sprout up from the ground like spring shoots, "And as of now, you as well."

Chihiro made an excited noise as she bounced over to where Hugo was and examined the training dummies.

"They don't seem very solid," Chihiro remarked as she gently brushed her finger against one's cloth body and frowned.

"Now, don't worry about durability." Hugo carried on with not even a peek back at Chihiro, "These dummies are enchanted to regenerate after taking a certain amount of damage. No matter how much you damage them, they'll go back to being as good as new!"

Chihiro nodded before she skipped back to Master Eon and gazed at him with intent eyes.

"So, Master Eon, what're we gonna start first? Blowing stuff up? Setting things on fire?" Chihiro asked maybe a little too eagerly before she shook her head and grinning wide, "No, no, don't tell me—we're gonna make them fight each other?!"—Chihiro dashed back to the dummy, grabbed one of its limp arms and made said arm slap its face—"Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you—"

"Now don't get too ahead of yourself, young Chihiro," Master Eon interrupted as he floated to her side, "You will learn all that in due time, but for now, we will focus on the basics."

"Okay, so, what would that be?" Chihiro sighed as she let go of the dummy and looked at Master Eon.

"Let me see." Master Eon looked through the book, "How about we start with projectiles?"

"Projectiles?" Chihiro echoed before she nodded, "Sounds simple enough. How do I do it?"

"Well, you already understand how to channel energy, yes?" Master Eon asked before he watched as Chihiro nodded again, "It's essentially the same thing as that."

Master Eon gazed over one of the practice dummies. Then, within moments, he crafted a bright sphere of light and shot an even brighter beam from it, a beam that shot a hole into the practice dummy! After Master Eon stopped, he watched the dummy slowly fill itself up with the stuffing it lost and sew the hole back shut, now good as new!

Chihiro watched all this in awe before she applauded loudly.

"Bravo, bravo!" Chihiro exclaimed before she narrowed her eyes and smirked.

"Now it's my turn."

And just like that, she leaped forward, closed her eyes and held her hands out before she crafted a small sphere of cyan-colored energy between her palms! She then smiled and snapped her fingers, which caused the sphere to shoot forward and ram into the dummy!

The dummy creaked as the sphere disappeared with a small hole left behind as a mark of her handiwork.

Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she smiled and clapped her hands.

"Well done, Chihiro." Master Eon bobbed up and down, almost as if he was nodding before he turned back to face Chihiro, "Now, try and see if you can make a larger one."

"Got it!" Chihiro gave Master Eon a thumbs up, then licked her lips as she thrust her hands in front of her person once more.

Her eyes narrowed as her whole body focused its power towards her hands, hands that now flashed with aqua light. In moments another energy sphere popped out… but it was no larger than the last! Chihiro scoffed as she watched it bob off and peter out, before she threw her arms out again. Another energy sphere popped out in response… But it was even smaller!

"C'mon, c'mon," Chihiro hissed through clenched teeth as beads of sweat dripped down her forehead, "Gimme a nice large one!"

This time, one the size of a dust speck fizzled out of her shaking palms.

"Uh… medium?"

No larger than a ladybug.

"C'mon, even baseball sized will do!"

This time, nothing shot out of her hands—just a simple aqua glow surrounded them before it faded into nothing. Chihiro shuddered and heaved a sigh as she rubbed her stinging eyes, her whole body shaken with frustration.

"But, but, it started out so good! I was so close!" Chihiro sniffed, "How could I mess that one up?"

"It's alright, Chihiro," Master Eon soothed as he floated up to Chihiro and perched on her shoulder, "Sometimes, these things happen. You feel like you master a spell once, but then can't recall how you did."

"R-really?" Chihiro rubbed her eyes again and looked back at Master Eon.

"Indeed." Master Eon hovered back off and magically levitated the book to his side, "Perhaps we should try another kind of spell? How about…"—Master Eon magically flipped through the pages before he made an intrigued noise—"How does summoning magical effigies sound?"

"Effigies?" Chihiro tilted her head, a slight frown on her face.

"They're simply versions of common objects made of magic energy. For instance, chairs, kitchen utensils, weapons—"

"WEAPONS?! LIKE SWORDS?!" Chihiro's sorrow was completely forgotten as her eyes sparkled and the widest grin found its way across her face.

"Well, theoretically, yes—" A wary Master Eon carefully hovered a ways back from Chihiro's side.

"COOL!" Chihiro stared down the training dummy.

With a smirk, she closed her eyes and held her hands together similar to how you'd hold a sword. Then, within moments, a longsword made of glowing aqua energy manifested in her hands!… Only to flicker out immediately! Chihiro heaved a small groan as she positioned herself again—legs apart, hands clasped, eyes focused…

Nothing.

Chihiro clenched her teeth as she looked over the training dummy, whose pristine condition only seemed to mock her like the wreckage before. As she looked back down at her hands, she gritted her teeth and held them open.

"Okay, let's try something smaller." Chihiro closed her eyes, her mouth still turned into a frown, "How about some bombs?"

Chihiro stayed focused for moments until she heard what sounded like the sizzle of a burning fuse and eagerly popped them open, only to find a faint hologram of a cyan-colored bomb nestled into the palm of her hand that quickly faded away.

"Maybe some boxing gloves then!" Chihiro closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, the tone in her voice especially frantic.

She stayed silent and placid for so long that it probably concerned Master Eon and Hugo, then her eyes shot wide open and she made an angered cry of war. With enraged shouts she broke into a barrage of punches aimed at one of the training dummies, and onslaught of fists slung and curses shouted until she hit the pole and reeled back in pain. As she examined her now slightly red hand, she saw that her hands were completely bare—no gloves or anything!

Chihiro's lips trembled as she felt tiny, salty tears sting her eyes. How could she fail so much? Every single move she made, every spell she practiced… An utter failure! Just like she was! As Chihiro sniffled, she bit her lip and wiped away the tears. She couldn't cry, not in front of Master Eon and Hugo. It would be stupid for her to get so worked up over a couple failures—if she couldn't keep her calm here, how could she keep her calm in the heat of a serious battle?

"Let's try something else." Chihiro made a couple shallow pants as she tried and failed to disguise her disappointment.

"… Well, then," Master Eon said, a bit of wariness in his voice as he reluctantly pulled up the book, "Let's see what we have…"—Master Eon hummed as he poured through the book—"Magic barriers!"

Master Eon watched Chihiro summon a cyan-colored barrier about the size of her person… That promptly flickered out like a dead light bulb.

"Teleporting." Master Eon looked to his side and saw Chihiro sneakily shuffle over to the other side of the room, only to sigh and halfheartedly trudge back to his side.

"Magical afflictions!" Master Eon heard a shocked scream as a bright flash engulfed the area next to him, then looked over to see Chihiro stumble about in a dizzy haze.

As Chihiro fell on her bottom and shook her head, she sniffled and bit her lip.

"That didn't work either, did it?" She croaked as her sniffles grew louder and more stuffy.

"I am afraid not, Chihiro," Master Eon replied as he floated down to her side, "Perhaps we should stop here for now."

Chihiro made a soft gasp, then shook her head.

"But, we can't!" Chihiro balled her hands into fists, desperation reflected in her eyes, "I haven't even mastered a single spell yet! I need to keep working!"

"Pushing yourself to your limits won't make these spells come to you, young Chihiro." Master Eon's voice took a bit of sternness to it, "And besides, I am certain it is about time for us to check on the Skylanders, is it not?"

Chihiro sniffled again and just barely held herself back from crying. Master Eon was right—it was about time to move onto the evening patrols, at least, she thought it was. She was so wrapped up in her training—or rather, _failure thereof_—that she was barely keeping track of the time. Her head hung low, Chihiro stood and made a weak nod.

"Come now, Chihiro." Master Eon floated off the ground and towards the door, "Let us make our leave for now. We can practice tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?!" Chihiro stopped and cleared her throat, then hung her head again as she trudged after Master Eon, "… Coming, Master Eon."

Chihiro bit her lip and held back her tears as she left the arena. So many spells she had practiced, so much time taken out of the day… And she couldn't master a single one. What kind of a portal master could she call herself if she couldn't even get a simple spell that little kids could probably get right done? Not a good one, that's for sure.

"Well, it's just one day, right?" Chihiro whispered as she wiped her tears, "You know what they say, the first day's always the hardest one. Maybe tomorrow would be better…"

Her heart just barely reassured, Chihiro quietly followed Master Eon and Hugo out of the arena. Maybe tomorrow would be better, yeah?

§_Three Days Later…_§

Tomorrow was not, in fact, better than the last. Neither was the day after it. Or the day after that one. No matter what she did, how hard she tried… She failed. Every single time. And her heart wouldn't let her forget it, her defeats weighed upon it like crates full of dumbbells.

In fact, it hurt her so much that she could barely even bring herself to get out of bed—what's the use of embracing another straight day of failure? But nevertheless she did, and it lead her to once again seat herself in Master Eon's study.

"Today, young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated off of his chair, "We will—"

"I know, I know," Chihiro droned as she curled into a ball and looked aside, a small frown on her face, "More magic practice."

"Actually, that's not the case." Master Eon shook back and forth slowly, then floated closer to Chihiro, "Today, we will be doing something else."

"Eh?" Chihiro peered up at Master Eon, her frown stretched wider, "Like, what else is there?"

Master Eon cleared his throat and spun around the table.

"The relief efforts at Shattered Island are nearly finished, but they need a few more helping hands in order to finish repairs—and I had wished to converse with the island's king about his encounter with Kaos." Master Eon floated aside, "So, you and several of the Skylanders will be accompanying me on a diplomatic embark."

Chihiro only sat silently as Master Eon spoke a conversation with Hugo that she blocked out of her mind. Why weren't they training? Had he finally gotten fed up with all her mistakes?

"Wait…" Chihiro pushed herself to jump out of her seat stand tall, "Shouldn't I be staying back and studying? I mean, I've got all those spells I need to master—"

"Chihiro, being a portal master is more than just mastering spells and fighting enemies." Master Eon flicked from here to there, as if he was pacing while talking, "Diplomacy is a vital part of a portal master's duties—after all, one cannot be expected to keep the peace and safety of a sole island, let alone the entire universe if they cannot easily deal with others in a just way."

"So I'm coming because…" Chihiro tilted her head, "I gotta study how to talk to people?"

"Well, somewhat." Master Eon floated towards Chihiro and rested on her shoulder, "The will be a vital opportunity for you to study firsthand how both Skylanders and portal masters, as keepers of justice, are expected to engage with the civilian populace. So in simple terms, yes, you are learning how to talk to people."

Master Eon's tone was slightly playful, as if he was trying to crack a joke, but honestly it only made Chihiro feel worse.

"And more importantly, you've been training for so long that you seem to be burnt out!" Master Eon sat himself on Hugo's shoulder.

Chihiro bit her lip and cast an aside look. True, she was quite burnt out from constantly practicing… But that was only really because of her inability to actually complete anything! No matter how many times she tried, it all amounted to failure.

"Perhaps a change of routine would help you some." Master Eon flew off towards the open doors of his study with Hugo dutifully behind him, "Come along now, we'll leave once you change out patrols."

Chihiro made a soft groan, then pushed herself to follow them. She really didn't enjoy this sudden change in routine, but it was no use arguing with Master Eon. He was her mentor, and besides, she still felt too awful to argue.

She didn't even pay attention to the scenery as she, Hugo and Master Eon made their way to the portal room. Not that she wanted too, anyways—she was sure everybody around could tell that she was an absolute, utter, _failure_. She could feel their glares piercing into her soul and ground her teeth to keep from focusing on their judgmental, disappointed gazes.

Their entry into the stone halls that lead to the portal room was a bit more of a relief—at least she knew there was _one _thing she could do right. Still quite crestfallen, she pushed past Master Eon and Hugo as the glow of the portals from a nearby open entryway signaled that they were nearly there.

As soon as she stepped inside the portal room, Chihiro wiped her tears and grabbed a list off the nearby wall. Time to get to work. Her first stop was at a nearby whirring portal that she immediately activated without even thinking. Once it activated, Spyro hopped out alongside a muscular, blue-skinned, four-armed yeti covered in white hair with lemon-colored eyes and a dull reddish-orange gremlin with large pointed ears, cream-colored markings around his eyes and belly, and big black and yellow eyes that held two large golden pistols in their furry hands.

"Hey guys," Chihiro barely said as she made a weak smile and a weaker wave to match, "How was the mission?"

"Really great!" shouted the gremlin as they spun their pistols around like toys, "Those weird cyclopses—wait, what's the plural of cyclops? Cyclopses? Cyclopsi? Cyclopsus?"

"It's cyclopes, Trigger Happy," Spyro interrupted as he looked over at Trigger Happy and then Chihiro, "Anyways, the mission was a success—we were able to drive the cyclopes out of the village and called in emergency response. Within a week, the village should be completely back to normal!"

"That's great news, Spyro," Chihiro mumbled as she buried her face in the list, "Anyways, you guys take a break for now—you've been assigned to guard the island for the afternoon."

"Finally, something easy," sighed the yeti before they looked over at Chihiro, "So, how are the lessons with Master Eon going?"

Chihiro stood frozen and bit her lip.

"They, they went great!" Chihiro sputtered as she giggled and looked away, "I learned a ton of new fancy-shmancy magic spells, everything went swell, and I definitely didn't screw everything up like a total failure!"—Chihiro jolted up as the portals flared and whirred—"Crap, gotta get going!"

And with that, she waved goodbye to the group before she bounced over to the next portal and opened it up. She stopped only momentarily to make conversation with the Skylanders who arrived from it before she attended to the others—normally she'd love to talk with her friends, but she feared that lingering too long would bring about the inevitable questions.

_How did your lessons go?_

_Did you master any spells already?_

_Are they tough?_

Chihiro sighed and held the list close to her heart. She couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth and disappoint them—after all, they were counting on _her _to help them defeat Kaos. She couldn't possibly let them down. After a few minutes, she brought herself to the last portal and watched it glow.

"Okay, I've gotten reports from all the other afternoon patrols," Chihiro said as she grabbed another sheet of paper out of her pocket and wrote down the reports on it, "This should be the last one."

Chihiro gulped, then placed her hands on the portal's rim and watched as it flared with bright light before a few familiar figures hopped off its surface—or rather, rolled off in the case of one!

"Terrafin, Stealth!" Chihiro weakly chirped as she make a fake grin, "Nice to see you! How'd the mission go?"

Sure enough, Terrafin and Stealth Elf had arrived back from whatever their latest mission was—following up on a past investigation or something?—and stretched against the light of the portal. They were flanked by a red and gold, stout robot with wheels for legs and drills for hands, whose light bulb-like eyes seemed to drill into everything around them.

"Well, it went as good as it could have," Stealth Elf said as she rested her arms at her side, "We still don't have any clue on where Kaos has hidden the Fairy Kingdom, or what he's been doing there beyond what we can infer from his cronies. But, at least we got those spell punks taken care of."

Chihiro made a weak nod and immediately diverted her attention down to her list.

"Drills, you're on the night shift," Chihiro said as she gestured towards the robot, "You can just hang out here."

"Affirmative, sir!" Drill Sergeant whirred as he rolled past Terrafin and Stealth Elf.

As Chihiro watched Drill Sergeant make his leave, she couldn't help but smile. Even though Drill Sergeant called everyone "sir," out of habit, something about the title made her feel somewhat… Happier, for lack of a better word.

"Terrafin, Stealth." Chihiro turned back to her list and rubbed her eyes, "You guys are—"

"Actually, I have a special task in mind for them, young Chihiro."

Chihiro made a soft noise and turned around to find Master Eon float closer towards her! When she turned back, Terrafin and Stealth Elf had nodded and bowed slightly in Master Eon's presence, honored by their old mentor's appearance.

"What'cha got in mind, Eon?" Terrafin asked as he crackled his knuckles.

The three of them talked among each other for a while, then Terrafin and Stealth obediently followed after Master Eon's ghost and left Chihiro behind. Which was more than relieving for her—she didn't exactly want to worry about unwanted training questions.

"Young Chihiro, why are you standing there?" Master Eon asked as he stopped and turned around, "You're joining us as well."

"Eh? Oh, right," Chihiro uttered as she nodded her head, then quietly trailed behind Master Eon. Her head was hung down the entire time, her gaze drifted away from the room and its sights as her mind blended into a hundred questions.

_I know Master Eon said he did this to try and help me, but… Is he really being honest? _Chihiro thought as she bit her lip, _What if he's just making me do this 'cause he's bored of watching me fail all the time? What if he's really fed up with me and just doesn't want to deal with me anymore?_—Chihiro gulped and tugged on her sleeve—_What if he thinks I can't really do this?_

Well, it was of no use asking now—she had gotten outside in the time spent contemplating, and there was already a ship waiting to take them to their destination, parked over by a nearby ledge. It had white flags with red crosses plastered across its sides, which signaled that it was some kind of emergency vehicle like the ambulances she'd occasionally see on the streets at home, and it looked large enough to house an entire village!

When she finally walked on board, she found that Master Eon loitered near the top of the bridge, as if he was anticipating her arrival. To his side, Stealth Elf leaned against a wall beside a sleeping Terrafin, while a couple of ursine mabu dressed in pristine red and white robes scrambled from side to side on the occasion.

"We are ready to embark now!" Master Eon proclaimed as he watched Chihiro board the ship's deck, "Shall we depart?"

§

Chihiro heaved a sigh as she gazed across the sky, her body leaned against the ship's railing. The trip so far had been mostly uneventful, unfortunately for her—as it left her plenty of time to be alone with her own thoughts.

_What am I even doing wrong? _Chihiro thought, _I've tried everything in the book and then some, and I still can't get anything right!_—Chihiro looked down at her hands and frowned, her eyes stung with heartache—_Is there something wrong with me?_

As she heard the ship come to a halt, she bit her lip and looked aside to find them parked at a vaguely familiar-looking island covered in relief forces and mostly-repaired buildings. Surely, this was the same Shattered Island she saw Spyro rescue not a few days ago.

But still, with it being so clean she almost didn't recognize it at first—the ruined houses and other buildings had been patched and repaired so well they were practically brand-new, and most of the wreckage had been cleared off and replaced with fresh grass and greenery. If not for the fantasy floating island bit, it almost felt like she was back on Earth in her old neighborhood.

As they parked, the ship's drawbridge flung down with a clatter and the passengers all alighted. No time to procrastinate, there was work to be done!

"I am going to speak about matters with the king," Master Eon informed as he floated ahead of Chihiro, "I trust that you can supervise things here in my steed?"

Chihiro made a weak nod and a smile of equal strength to match. Well, all she had to do was watch things, right? That wasn't something she could easily mess up.

After she watched Master Eon float out of view, she skipped over to where Terrafin was helping a couple other mabu in construction worker uniforms heave up stray wreckage piles, while to his side Stealth Elf and a few others were looking over bags of what she could assume were seed or sand or something like that.

"Yo!" Chihiro called as she waved over to the group, "Anything I can help with?"

"We've got this covered, kiddo!" Terrafin yelled as he heaved a couple stone beams over his shoulder, "You just sit back and watch the show!"

Chihiro quietly nodded and sat on a particularly grassy patch of the ground as she watched them move to and fro. As they laid foundations for housing, planted new flora and rebuilt broken buildings, it seemed like there wasn't a moment to rest! But maybe that was because of the sheer enthusiasm that everybody held as they repaired away, their smiles prominent as they worked their hardest.

But, it was all the same to Chihiro, who only yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Doesn't seem like things are too bad here," she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes again and laid on her back, her head a bit fuzzy, "Maybe I could get away with a quick nap…"

But as Chihiro went to rest, something else decided to stir…

"Hey, Gary, can you help me move this one rock over?" Asked one mabu to another by their side as they watched their companion nod.

The two mabu got on both ends of a large, smooth gray rock and heaved it to the side, only to hear… Rumbling?

"You hear that, Larry?" asked Gary as they looked inside the hole they uncovered.

They were quickly joined by several of their coworkers, who all stared into this suspicious hole. Everything around started to quake and rumble, like they had uncovered some kind of masked, ancient evil only known in legends. Even Chihiro took notice of this as she sat back up.

"What's that sound?" Chihiro asked as she shook her head, her mind still in a sleepy daze, "An earthquake?"

Chihiro's eyes glazed over to where most-everybody had gathered—the unveiled stone pit. With a mighty roar akin to that of an entire pride of lions at max volume, something shot out from the hole while wild winds whipped everywhere!

"A WINDBAG!" Shouted one of the mabu workers as they stood completely fixed to their spot.

The sheer volume of noise caused everybody else to drop whatever it was they were doing and immediately focus their attention on the windbag. The large, angry windbag with its large tornado that housed an angry pair of eyes, that roared and summoned storms with every single breath of its mouth!

With narrowed eyes, Terrafin and Stealth leaped into action! As they positioned themselves in front of the trembling mabu workers, Terrafin leaned over his shoulder and looked back at Chihiro.

"Chi, get these guys outta here!" Terrafin shouted over the sheer volume of the roaring winds, which was probably an accomplishment in itself, "We'll take care of this nasty-lookin' dude!"

Chihiro made a nod of understanding as she waved over to the mabu.

"Hey!" Chihiro shouted as she pointed over to the open pathway, "Over here!"

The mabu dashed over in a giant herd, footsteps pounded against the ground as they ran past Chihiro!

"N-NOW NOW, PLEASE ESCAPE IN AN ORDERLY MANN—ACK!" Chihiro was spun around as the mabu stampeded past and stumbled about, "Er… Ugh…"

Chihiro shook her head and regained her senses, then watched where Terrafin and Stealth Elf were. It was almost mesmerizing to her to see them fight and dodge, block and battle—she couldn't even move her feet! So, she just sat down and studied their fight.

With a roar, the windbag cast a large bolt of lightning down at Stealth Elf, who only stood placidly.

"Wait, what's she doing?!" Chihiro whispered, "She'll get fried if she keeps standing there!"—Chihiro cupped her hands around her mouth and waved—"STEALTH! STEALTH, GET OUTTA THERE! THAT THING'S GONNA FRY YOU!"

But it was still no use—Stealth Elf just continued to stay still.

Its target in sight, the lightning crashed down and completely electrocuted her in the blink of an eye!

"STEALTH!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and tried to locate Stealth Elf, but the clouds from the shock's aftermath were far too plentiful.

The windbag seemingly smirked, until it looked down as the clouds cleared—and found that in Stealth Elf's place was a heavily-singed scarecrow with a striking resemblance to her instead!

It let out a shocked murmur, then screamed in pain! The windbag turned around and looked as steam leaked out its back, while something vaulted over its shoulder and landed flawlessly on the ground!

Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she watched Stealth Elf landed on her feet, her hands clasped tight around each other.

"THAT WAS AWESOME, STEALTH!" Chihiro shouted as she bounced up and down.

"Terrafin!" Stealth shouted as she stood tall, sharp blades clasped tight in her hands, "Now's your—"

Stealth's words were blocked by a furious yell, as the evening sky was coated in thick, churning gray storm clouds! Thunder and lightning crackled down onto the earth as Terrafin dove underground, while Stealth just barely escaped getting shocked by a bolt of thunder.

The thunder roared and cracked and shot everything around, which caused buildings to singe and be set aflame!

"Woah!" Terrafin shouted as he popped up near a half-repaired house that was set alight and promptly dove back into the ground.

Mounds of upheaved earth formed trails around the battlefield as Terrafin took sanctuary and occasionally popped up for air, only to narrowly dodge another thunderbolt and dive back in! His swimming had grown erratic as he tried to dodge, something Chihiro noticed instantly.

And Stealth Elf was no better as she bounced from spot to spot. She couldn't dive safely underground like Terrafin could, and her teleporting had grown frantic. She zapped from spot to spot in moments, all to desperately avoid the thunder. Just then, as she poofed and reappeared, a mighty gust of wind sent her reeling into a ravaged building!

"STEALTH!" Chihiro cried as she watched Stealth Elf stagger up from the attack, then heard a scream and turned to her side.

There, she saw Terrafin get lifted out of his tunnel from a mighty gust of wind akin to a geyser and get slammed into a tree!

"TERRAFIN!" Chihiro bit her lip and knocked her knees together without even realizing. They were definitely in a tight spot! She had to help them somehow!

_But how?… _Chihiro thought as she fell to the ground, _I don't have any magic to fight that thing with! And I'm completely useless otherwise—_Chihiro's eyes grew cold as she fell to her knees—_I'm… Useless…_

Chihiro's state grew almost numb and zombielike as she watched Terrafin and Stealth Elf struggle against the Windbag's beastly were struggling so hard… And she could only sit there and do _nothing_.

_What good am I?_

Chihiro's head began to spin and throb as she watched them fight, her mind in such a tizzy that she barely noticed Stealth Elf reappear and glare up at the windbag.

"Hey, breezy!" Stealth shouted over the raging electricity, "Bet you can't catch me!"  
With a mischievous snicker, Stealth disappeared out of existence in a puff of green clouds and reappeared about a couple paces away from the windbag! As it roared and tried to blow her away, she poofed herself away and reappeared on the ground.

"Too slow!" Stealth disappeared again right as the windbag summoned a bolt of lightning to shock her and reappeared close to a worn house.

"Sorry, not fast enough!"

"Ooh, nice try!"

"Heh, and you call yourself a windbag djinn?"

As Stealth popped in and out of existence everywhere around the windbag, Chihiro tilted her head. What was Stealth thinking? All this teasing was only going to make the thing more mad, right? And besides, she normally never acted this teasing and cocky…

Chihiro carefully backed away just in case, her eyes glazed over the battlefield as something tunneled closer and closer to the windbag… Terrafin! Her eyes sparkled as Terrafin popped out of the ground, grabbed onto the windbag and punched it in its side!

The windbag could only howl in pain as Terrafin laid the pain on it with fierce punches and solid bites that caused some kind of mist to pour out of its funnel. The windbag roared with rage one more time as the clouds grew darker—surely it was furious enough to take down the entire island!

But, Terrafin tunneled down back underground as Stealth disappeared and reappeared next to the wound Terrafin tore in the windbag's funnel! With a rub of her hands she cast a cloud of dark green spores into the hole!

The windbag absorbed these spores, then coughed and hacked while its funnel turned a sickly shade of green. As it reeled from illness and panted, it grew smaller and smaller until it was no longer than the average tree. With a shudder it looked up—and promptly saw Stealth Elf and Terrafin leap over it!

With a weak scream, it could only watch as Stealth Elf ripped into its center with her blades and Terrafin did the same with his claws! With one large rip, all the mist and steam was expelled and vanished into nothingness!

The skies cleared of the storms and revealed a clear afternoon stratosphere as Stealth and Terrafin stopped and admired their handiwork.

"Well, better get back to cleanup," Stealth Elf said as she brushed herself off, "Hopefully that windbag didn't leave us too much extra work…"

§

"Thanks for all the help today, Skylanders!" A mabu donned in robes said as he withdrew the drawbridge, "We couldn't have gotten it done without you!"

"It's no big deal!" Terrafin shouted as he waved back, "That's what we're here for!"

The four of them all watched as the ship slowly flew away, until it was little more than a dot in the afternoon sky. Once it dispersed, yawns were heard all around.

"That was one heck of a repair job," Terrafin remarked as he stretched his muscular arms to the sky and walked off, "I'm heading out."

"Likewise," Stealth Elf chimed in before she completely vanished in a puff of green smoke.

All that was left behind of their quartet was Master Eon and Chihiro, who quietly stood together in the warmth of the afternoon.

"I will be headed to my citadel to rest for now," Master Eon said as he floated off, "I'd advise that you do so as well, young Chihiro—you'd had quite an afternoon."

"But, what about my training?" Chihiro asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"That can wait for now—I need to—"

"NO, IT CAN'T!" Chihiro shouted without even realizing, her body shaken with fury.

Master Eon paused and turned back to Chihiro. Though he had no face, he was clearly shocked by her sudden outburst.

"I NEED TO KEEP TRAINING! I CAN'T KEEP BEING SO USELESS!" Chihiro whimpered as hot tears streaked down her cheeks, "Everybody else is counting on me to be some great hero for them… You, and Hugo and everyone are working so hard, and the Skylanders are always facing so much danger—"

"Young Chihiro, there's no need to be concerned—we all understand how long training takes, and the Skylanders can handle themselves plenty—they're professionals—"

"But they're my friends too!" Chihiro grabbed her sleeve and bit her lip, "… If something happened to them, I don't think I could ever live with myself. Fin and Stealth, they could've gotten seriously hurt when that windbag thingie attacked them, and all I could do is stand there and watch!"

Hot tears streamed down her face, Chihiro bolted away from Master Eon's side.

"WHAT KIND OF A PORTAL MASTER AM I?!"

"Chihiro!" Master Eon called as he floated towards her path, then reeled back.

§

"Projectiles," Chihiro croaked as she thrust her hands in front of her, "Come forth!"

Nothing. Her hands didn't even glow as she stared down the arena training dummy before her.

"Dummy, shrink!" Chihiro pointed a finger at it, but nothing about it changed.

"C'mon, set yourself on fire or something!"

Nope. Nothing happened. Chihiro only gazed in sorrow at the dummy before she slunk down to her knees.

"Oh, what's the use?" Chihiro sniffled as she looked around the training arena.

It seemed perfectly pristine, as if it had been completely untouched, like her training sessions from the past days never happened.

_My useless training sessions, _Chihiro thought as she looked over the plush training dummies and felt tears well in her eyes, _Look at me, I'm supposed to be some super powerful magical magician and I can't even do a bunch of simple spells that even a baby could probably do!—_Chihiro bit her lip as hot tears salted with rage streaked down her cheeks—_I'm useless!_

With a cry of wrath, Chihiro balled her hand into a fist and punched the dummy straight in its chest. As her tears streamed down, the punches came nonstop—she didn't know why. All she knew was that beating these things up made her feel a little better about herself.

_I should've mastered that stuff in minutes! Seconds, even! But I'm too much of a failure to even do __**that**__! _Chihiro sniffled as she shot another punch at the dummy, _Everybody's counting on me to learn all the spells and stuff and be some big hero… The Skylanders, Eon, Hugo… But what can I do?_

Her energy now a bit depleted, Chihiro shot one last punch at the dummy before she unfurled her hand and let her palm rest on its woven cloth. Now too tired to even be angry or sad anymore, Chihiro only felt numb as she stood there and let her tears fall.

_I'm completely worthless as a portal master, as a hero, as a…_

"Chihiro?"

Chihiro let out a shocked squeak as she frantically wiped her tears and turned around, only to find Master Eon as he hovered in the arena's hallway!

"I thought I'd find you here," Master Eon said as he floated towards Chihiro and sat down next to here.

"Where else would I be?" Chihiro asked as she hung her head, "I have no business just lazing around when everybody else is working so hard!"

Master Eon seemingly frowned as his glow dimmed just a bit.

"Young Chihiro, your heart seems troubled." Master Eon flew up to her side and glowed just a little bright.

"What gave it away?" Chihiro only clutched her shirt and made a weak frown.

Master Eon stayed silent as he floated in place, then cleared his throat.

"You shouldn't fret so much about these spells, young Chihiro. You can still open portals, correct?"

"Well, yeah."

"Well, as a portal master, your main job right now is to open portals and send the Skylanders on missions—and you've done more than enough of that. As for all the other things, just do your best and things will work out—"

"But what if they don't?!" Chihiro trembled as small tears fell down her face, then sighed and looked weakly at Master Eon, "These spells are all supposed to be basic stuff, but I couldn't even get one right. ONE!"—Chihiro stared Master Eon straight down, then shuddered as she drew away from him, "Truth be told, I don't know how I'm gonna do this. You're one of the greatest portal masters of your time, right?"

"Well, I don't like to toot my own horn, but that is what many people have said." Master Eon circled around Chihiro, "But even I wasn't perfect, I still had moments where I struggled, too—"

"But you don't have to worry about some war and stuff!" Chihiro bolted up and glared down Master Eon, "I'm just some kid from Earth. I'm no Master Eon, heck, I'm no average Eon!"—Chihiro shuddered and made strained gasps as her tears fell—"But everybody's counting on me to help them fight Kaos and save Skylands… If I can't even get some simple spells right, even though I've tried a million times, what good am I?!"

Chihiro bit her lip again and fell to her knees.

"I don't think I can ever be a true portal master—I'm sure a true portal could actually cast a spell… Unlike me. I'm just dead weight."

Unable to speak at last, Chihiro only shuddered and hung her head low as tears rolled down her cheeks, only to feel something nudge her back and look around. Sure enough it was Master Eon, who looked at her with a calm, reassuring gaze.

"That's not entirely true, Chihiro." Master Eon shook his head as he spoke, as if to reinforce his words, "Spyro told me about the time that you and him were trapped in my library—when you created a shield that saved you two?"

"Ah…" Chihiro placed a clasped hand to her mouth, "Yeah, I did. I dunno how I did it though…"—Chihiro shook her head and squeezed her hand—"I was just so scared that I was gonna die and didn't want to, and then when I opened my eyes… It was there!

Master Eon went silent as his glow faded and brightened seemingly more absorbed in thought that the conversation at hand. Finally, his whole body brightened.

"I see now!" Master Eon floated in placed before he rested himself next to Chihiro, "I think I know why you have been struggling so much, young Chihiro."

"You do?" Chihiro's voice resonated with a tone of shock.

"You've been quite troubled by all this, haven't you? Training, and being prepared, and living up the expectations you believe everyone has for you…"  
Chihiro nodded her head, then watched as Master Eon's gentle glow grew brighter.

"You see, Young Chihiro." Master Eon's body flashed purple as he summoned a magical apparition of a purple heart that shimmered with light, "The magic you and I and everyone casts comes from the heart. When the heart's troubled…"—As if to exemplify his point, the magical heart grew duller in color and stopped glowing before it faded entirely—"The magic just can't come out! I believe it might be what you're dealing with right now."

"So what you're saying is, me getting so worked up about whether I can do these spells or not is what's keeping me from doing them?"

"That's the hypothesis, yes." Master Eon nudged Chihiro's side, floated over to the training dummies, then sat himself down on the floor, "But we won't know for sure until we test it."

Chihiro shakily stood, then pattered over to the dummies.

"Try casting a spell—just any spell," Master Eon said, "And don't worry about me, or anyone and anything else. Just focus on your spell."

"I'll try." Chihiro's voice was feeble as she made a weak nod, then clutched onto her jacket as she stared down the training dummy. Her worries started to pile as she felt her head spin, but then disappeared as she bit her lip.

"What should I try…" Chihiro pondered before she held out both her hands, "Actually… Just give me an energy projectile. A nice, big one!"

Chihiro breathed in and held her breath, her mind completely blank save for the image of the projectile she wished to cast. It was blue, and bright, and about the size of a basketball—just big enough for her to hold in her hands—but most of all it was tangible and filled with pure magic. As her focus continued, she felt her body swell with magic energy at such a rate it made her feel numb, but these concerns were of no matter to her.

All that mattered was her projectile.

"Projectile…" Chihiro clasped her hands close to her chest then shot them forward, "RELEASE!"

Chihiro paused for a moment afterwards, almost a bit scared to open her eyes. Had it worked? Had she failed? As she felt a soft light shine against her face, she popped one eye opened to find…

A sphere, just like the one she had envisioned.

"It worked," Chihiro gasped, her voice breathy and full of shock as she clutched the sphere in her hands, "IT WORKED!"—Chihiro then stopped short and pursed her lips—"Wait a second, can I make more?"

Chihiro closed her eyes and focused hard, then opened to see several more spheres pop into existence and spin around her! With strangled sobs, Chihiro hugged the energy spheres tight before they burst, her heart finally lightened of its load. She sniffled quite a bit as tears streamed down her face once more, but she was the happiest she could be in that very moment.

"Young Chihiro, why are you crying?" Master Eon asked as he rotated his body slightly, "It worked, did it not?"

"I'm not sad, silly!" Chihiro bounded forward and captured Master Eon in a tight hug, "They're tears of joy! I, I'm happy…"—Chihiro snuggled closer to Master Eon and rested her head on his shoulder—"And it's all because of you! Thanks a bunch, I don't think I could've gotten it without you!"

"No need to thank me." Master Eon gently flew out of Chihiro's grasp, his glow soft and gentle, "I'm happy to help!"

Chihiro wiped away her tears and made a soft yawn.

"… I think all that crying must have tired me out!" Chihiro walked away to the door, and only stopped for a moment to wave to Master Eon before she closed it, "Master Eon, later today… Can we try to practice more?"

Master Eon only smiled and bobbed up and down in response as Chihiro closed the arena's door.

§_Several Hours Later…_§

"Come on Hugo, we don't have all day!" Chihiro exclaimed as she paraded into Master Eon's still-ruined library, a new fire in her steps as she walked.

Hugo only groaned and rubbed his eyes as he passed through the doorway.

"Chihiro, this better be good," Hugo snapped, a tone of surprising irritation in his voice, "I didn't even get to have my dinner yet!"

"Oh, bygones are bygones." Chihiro walked over to the staircase and happily hopped up two stairs at a time, "I've got something really cool to show you guys!"

Chihiro reached the top of the stairs and looked over the ruined library for a moment, then spun around and beamed as Master Eon and Hugo joined her at the top. She definitely had it this time, she could feel it in her bones!

"The library?" Hugo uttered as he made a small frown, "What about it?"

"Just watch!" Chihiro hummed and skipped over the various broken stones, then breathed in and closed her eyes.

_Remember what Master Eon said, just focus, _Chihiro thought as she clasped her hand against her heart.

Her mind focused on a small pile of rocks in front of her, Chihiro cast out her hand.  
"Rocks, float!"

Nothing happened for a few solid moments, but Chihiro didn't notice—her mind was too fixed on the image of those floating rocks. All was quiet for those few moments, from an eerily tranquil Chihiro to Master Eon and Hugo as they watched with bated breath…

Then the rocks floated! As they lifted themselves off the ground, they flew off to an aside corner of the room and positioned themselves in a small pile.

Hugo made a sharp gasp and rubbed his eyes.

"Chihiro, you did it!" Hugo exclaimed, utter amazement in his voice, "You've performed a levitation spell!"

"But that's not all!" Chihiro chirped with a wink, then closed her eyes in focus. In mere moments, she disappeared and reappeared all over the place!

"Rocks, float!"

"Rocks, float up!"

"Rocks, do the floaty thing!"

As she spoke these words, her will sprung into existence! The rocks all floated in one big migration over to the pile Chihiro had crafted, until there was only dust and dirt left in the library.

Chihiro then walked over to the crater with her giant rock enemy and clapped her hands.

"Giant rock, shrink!"

Chihiro patiently watched the hole as a bright aqua glow emerged from it, then beamed and laughed as the giant rock shrank to the size of a baseball and gently landed on the bottom floor.

"Now, rock, float!" Chihiro contently watched as the rock floated out from the crater and rested near the others.

Her smile turned eager, she looked back and watched as Hugo broke out into a round of applause.

"And size manipulation as well!" Hugo proclaimed as he pulled a list and pencil out of his pocket and checked some things off of it.

"Now, Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated to Chihiro's side, a kind of gentle prompting in his voice, "Do you think you can rid us of these rocks?"

Chihiro nodded furiously and made a few small chirps, then hopped on back to the small rock pile. As she pressed her hands together, she closed her eyes and felt… Something. All around her, magic energy crackled in the air and made her feel an oddly fuzzy kind of feeling she couldn't quite pin down, and though her eyes were closed she almost felt like she could see it fly around her!

_Okay, got the easy part down—now for the moment of truth, _Chihiro thought as she breathed in and screwed her eyes further shut, her heart at a standstill for a few moments, _Energy, see those rocks over there?_

Chihiro's breathing turned slow and rhythmic as she felt the energy swirl around her and fill her with a power so great it made her feel like her entire body would just implode!

_Melt them._

Chihiro squeezed her hands tighter and felt all the energy disperse from her surroundings. Everything was tranquil for a few key moments, then she felt a harsh, aqua glow absorb her and her eyes snapped open!

She found the glow's source was the corner where she had pushed away all those rocks, and it was so intense that it lit everything around a bright aqua before it faded.

As the glow died, Chihiro's pupils grew wide with excitement—because the rocks were gone! All that was left was a few tiny sparkles of aqua magic that faded out as soon as they came.

"Now, just one thing left to do," Chihiro said as she looked over to where the broom was still stationed and lifted it up, "Okay broom,"—Chihiro focused hard as she lifted it to the heavens—"TIME TO DO SOME CLEANING!"

The broom glowed a bright aqua before it bounded out of Chihiro's hands and bowed towards her. It then detached its own dustpan and laid it on the floor before it swept up everything in sight! Dust, gravel, the few stray rocks that escaped Chihiro's capture, none were a match for the broom as it swept up the floors and gathered its collection in a large pile that laid on the dustpan. It even dislodged rocks stuck in the walls with its handle and swept those into the pile too!

After its job was done, the broom looked around the room one last time, bowed formally towards Chihiro and turned straight and fell lifeless on the floor.

Chihiro chuckled with glee as she took a look around herself—aside from a few holes in the floor and walls, the whole room was spotless and sparkling like it was brand new.

"Well done, young one!" Master Eon applauded.

Hugo smiled and clapped as well before he walked over to Chihiro and checked some things off of the list.

"Is there any chance you could do that for the portal building's library as well?" Hugo made an awkward laugh, "It's, ahem, in need of a good cleaning."

Chihiro made a hearty laugh, then felt a soft kind of warmth beside her and turned around to see Master Eon!

"While I'm sure young Chihiro would be kind enough to help you, Hugo, there's one other important matter she stills needs to attend to."

"There is?" Chihiro asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yes, indeed." Master Eon spun around Chihiro a few times, like he was pacing circles around her without a body to do so, "You do recall the combat spells we practiced, correct?"

Chihiro's mouth gaped open as her eyes sparkled.

"You bet I do!" Chihiro jumped into the air as she pumped a fist, "Let's cast some spells!"

§

Chihiro took a few quiet steps towards the center of the arena as Master Eon and Hugo made their way into the training arena. The training dummies that once seemed to mock her with their ever-pristine conditions a reflection of her inability to master spells now just seemed like… Average dummies!

"Remember Chihiro, you've got this in the bag," Chihiro whispered as a smirk crossed her face, "Just focus."

She then closed her eyes and focused, her whole body completely still for once in her life. As she stood, small spheres of cyan energy formed all around her body and shot themselves at the training dummies, which created a collection of holes in each one!

As she felt the last of the spheres fade away, Chihiro poked an eye open to admire her work, before she noted the small size of the holes and frowned as they sowed themselves shut. She needed something bigger.

"Okay, let's try that again." Chihiro closed her eyes and clasped her hands as she sensed the magic energy crackle around her, "Give me some nice, big energy projectiles… Please?"

Chihiro kept perfectly silent for what seemed like forever, her whole body still like stone as she focused her mind towards the spheres' creation. In fact, she was completely lost in her thoughts that she almost forgot the world around her existed until she felt a warm glow and opened her eyes…. To see that right in front of her was an aqua energy sphere about the size of a basketball!

Chihiro sharply gasped, then watched with an open smile as it rocketed forward and slammed into a training dummy! Then, she turned back to Master Eon.

"So, what's next?"

Hugo stood in shock for mere moments, while Master Eon looked down at the book and poured through its pages.

"Let's see, there's—"

"Lemme see it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she snagged the book from Master Eon and then examining its pages. However, as everything was written in Skylandian text, she did not understand it at all.

With a deep frown, Chihiro watched as Master Eon levitated the book out of her hands and cleared his throat.

"As I was saying." Master Eon scanned the book once more, "Next, we should practice summoning magical effigies."

"Those magical weapons and stuff, right?" Chihiro nodded and looked back at the dummies, "Got it!"

With a smirk, she closed her eyes and held her hands together similar to how one would hold a sword. Then, within moments, a longsword made of glowing aqua energy manifested in her hands! Chihiro opened her eyes, then let out a cry of war as she jumped forward and slashed the training dummy in half!

The dummy's stuffing fell out immediately and left behind a limp sack for a corpse, before it glowed and magically reassembled itself in moments.

"That is how you create magical effigies," Master Eon interjected as he scanned the book, "Now, let's move on…"—Master Eon hummed as he skimmed through the pages, then made a content sigh—"Magic barriers!"

"On it!" Chihiro shouted as she threw her hands in front of her body and summoned a barrier made of cyan-colored magic that was about as big as she was.

"Magical afflictions!"

Chihiro smirked and cast a bolt of energy towards another training dummy, then watched with pride as the dummy spun around in what seemed like a dizzy haze.

"Teleporting!"

Chihiro focused her energy and closed her eyes as she was engulfed in a puff of smoke and reappeared about a foot away from where she stood.

"Elemental channeling!"

Chihiro created several purple balls of lightning that crackled with eldritch Magic Element energy and shot them back at the dummies!… Of course, the impact was so intense that it creates tons of purple smog that made the area impossible to see, but oh well.

As Chihiro coughed and brushed away the smoke, she heard the sound of a door creak open as the fog dispelled! When it all disappeared she looked across the arena to see that Hugo had opened up the doors, his hoodie used as a gas mask.

"Heh, sorry about that!" Chihiro chirped as she scratched her head, "Didn't think that would make such a mess…"

"It is quite alright, Chihiro," Master Eon said as he swirled around Chihiro, "After all, you passed your first exam!"

Hugo applauded Chihiro, but she only frowned and tilted her head.

"Wait… I did?" Chihiro asked.

"Indeed." Master Eon flew away from Chihiro and towards Hugo's side, "Hugo, if you please?"

Hugo nodded in affirmation, then pulled a list from his pocket and cleared his throat.

"Portal Master Exam One," Hugo proclaimed as he straightened out the list, "Successfully perform the ten basic spells at least once."

Hugo then lifted up a page of the list and showed it to Chihiro. Its creased white pages all had names written in skylandian text with boxes next to them… All of which had a blocky check mark within them!

"And you, young Chihiro, have done that just fine," Master Eon intruded as he flew up to Chihiro's eye-level, "Now that you have a basic grasp on spellcasting, I can trust you to accompany the Skylanders on simple missions without my aid if needed."

"REALLY?"

"I certainly meant what I said." Master Eon bobbed up and down, "Now, keep practicing these spells, and soon you will be able to perform them in your sleep!"

"I will, Master Eon!" Chihiro nodded her head up and down, then rapidly stomped her feet and bounced at least a foot into the air.

"I PASSED MY FIRST EXAM! WOOHOO!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven time, baby! Here's a nice, cool chapter for those of us dealing with the heat of summer... Like me. It is very, very hot where I live right now, as per summer standards. Please send sodas. (Just joking~)**

**Watch Seeker: I'm so glad you enjoyed that chapter, I had a lot of fun pumping the emotion in that one! Also, I don't know if I have an ultimate favorite—I think maybe Spyro, Stealth Elf or Terrafin? But I love all the characters in Skylanders so much that it's hard for me to pick~**

**Also, another thing I want to mention—a couple days ago, Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders passed a thousand views! I'm extremely honored that it is so popular, and I wish to thank everyone who's viewed so far for your support and only hope that you continue to support Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders in the future!**

* * *

It was a chilly autumn morning, but despite the sheer cold everybody was bustling about the Ruins with plenty of energy to spare. Between the Skylanders running to and from missions, Cali and Hugo fiddling with the Far-Viewer as they tried to locate the next part of the Core and everything else, it seemed nobody had a moment to rest!

Well, with the exception of Chihiro—she had just finished sending the Skylanders away on their morning patrols and finally had a moment to herself. She paced around the heart of the island, her eyes trained on the ground below her and her hands pressed against her chin. However, while her body was on Skylands, her mind was in the clouds.

__Let's see, __Chihiro thought as she softly hummed to herself, __What to do, what to do… I could try practicing magic, but I've been practicing all week. I need a break before it breaks me.__

Chihiro then heaved a sigh and stopped in her tracks for a moment.

__I could try exploring the island… But where would I go? __Chihiro then sat down and hummed even more, __Let's see, where haven't I gone yet… The sanctuaries? Spyro showed me around there a while ago. The beach? Nah—wait, the beach!—__Chihiro jumped up and snapped her fingers—__I've never been to the beach before! Yeah, I'll just go there!__

And with that, Chihiro ran off from the heart of the island! Her feet stomped across the cold earth of the ground below her as she reached the island's edge, then with a swift turn she piloted herself towards the staircase that lead towards the beach… And forgot to stop, which caused her to trip and roll down the stone staircase before she fell face-first onto the sand. As Chihiro moaned and staggered up, she spat sand out of her mouth and shook her head.

"Next time, I gotta remember to stop." Chihiro looked up and smiled as she gazed over the beaches, her hands buried in the grainy sands.

The beaches themselves looked like your average beach, with their yellow sands and vast oceans. They were positioned against the cliffs that made up the higher parts of the island and felt slightly smaller than your average beach as a result, yet still had all your typical beach charms—the smell of salt water, the feeling of grainy sand under your toes, the bone-chilling breeze…

"Wait a second!" Chihiro exclaimed as she shuddered and looked around, "Why'd it get so cold? I know it's fall and all, but I feel like it should be…"

Chihiro looked in front of her and stopped short as she saw some big, blue mass slowly float towards the beach.

"Warmer?"

It was so far away that she couldn't easily discern it at first, but it was moving in fast—in fact, within moments it had gently parked itself on the shoreline and gave Chihiro a much better view.

The thing in question seemed to be some kind of large island shaped like an iceberg, with a large, looming palace made out of ice and toppled with a dome-like igloo imposed over everything else. With how large and cold it was, it seemed to chill the entire area surrounding! Snowflakes fell from its icy top and onto the sands, cold winter breezes flew in every so often, and the cold atmosphere that surrounded it seemed to kill the normally cheery mood of the beach.

Chihiro stared at the island in awe at first, her jaw dropped wide open and her eyes practically bulged out of her head. Then, she completely hightailed it! With heavy pants, she ran back up the stairs as fast as she could.

"GUYS, GUYS, GET OVER TO THE BEACH, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!"

§

"So, you're saying this just showed up on the beach a couple minutes ago?" Spyro asked as he looked over the large island.

He, Gill Grunt, Master Eon, Hugo and a couple of the other Skylanders who were slated for island patrols had all gathered themselves around the beach and each and every one of them had eyes fixed on the large icy island.

"Yeah, pretty much," Chihiro replied as her eyes glazed up and down over the island.

"… What is it?" Spyro looked back at Chihiro and then back at the island.

"No clue." Chihiro made a hapless shrug and looked to her side.

Meanwhile, Hugo had grabbed a book out of his lapel and was furiously flipping through it, his eyes fixated on its pages.

"I can't find anything in my book about it," Hugo said, "So it can't be a nomadic island, a dimension wormhole, a magic sandwich… I'm completely stumped!"

"Then we'll just have to find out what this thing is!" Chihiro stared directly at Spyro and Gill Grunt, "Come on, we're going in!"

"Not so fast, Chihiro," Spyro said as he placed a paw on Chihiro's shoulder, "I've already told you, it's not safe for you—"

"Actually, Spyro," Master Eon interjected as he floated between Spyro and Chihiro, "Young Chihiro's proven to me that she's more than capable enough to accompany you on simple missions."

"Yeah, yeah!" Chihiro exclaimed with a furious series of nods, "I learned a bunch of spells and I passed my first exam and everything!"—Chihiro's gaze fixed itself on Master Eon with an almost prompting urgency—"Right, Master?"

"Indeed—in fact, this would be the perfect time for you to practice for your second Portal Master Exam!" Master Eon gently nudged Hugo, "Hugo, would you care to elaborate?"

"Oh, yes, Master!" Hugo exclaimed as he yanked a crumpled piece of paper form his jacket's pocket, smoothed it out and cleared his throat.

"The Second Portal Master Exam involves the apprentice accompanying a team of Skylanders on a simple mission and aiding them. If the team succeeds, then the apprentice will have passed."

"And finding out the nature of this strange palace sounds simple enough to me," Master Eon interjected as he flew to Chihiro's side, "As long as you stay close to the Skylanders and listen to them, I see no problem with you accompanying them here."

Chihiro made an excited gasp, then grabbed Spyro's paw and Gill's hand.

"Well then what are we standing around here for, then?" Chihiro exclaimed, "Let's go check out this—"

Chihiro felt something lay itself on her shoulder and let out a shocked squeak, before she turned around and smiled wide.

"Slam! What'cha need, my dude?"

Behind her was none other than Slam Bam, a blue-skinned yeti with white fur around his head, neck, four arms and legs, black claws on his hands and feet and highlighter yellow eyes.

"Oh, I don't need anything—but you're going to need some help," Slam Bam interjected as he pointed a clawed finger towards the frozen island, "You don't know what kind of dangers you're going to face there,"—Slam then smiled and pressed another clawed hand against his chest—"That's why Eruptor and I are going to tag along! With my knowledge of ice and his fire, this mission'll be a snap!"

"Wait, when did I agree to this?" shouted out a rumbly voice from the back of the crowd.

Its owner then walked out and revealed themself to be a burgundy-colored monsters made entirely of volcanic rock. Veins of lava peeked out and flowed through the cracks in their body, while their eyes had yellow sclera, orange pupils and no lack of irritation. Their mouth was twisted into a toothy frown and their large arms were crossed together.

"You have to, Ruptor, we were supposed to patrol the island today!" Slam shouted back to Eruptor before he looked back at the castle of ice before them, "And this definitely needs investigating."

However, Eruptor didn't speak—he instead looked with worried eyes at the giant, icy castle that towered in front of him and then back at Chihiro.

"Ruptor?" Slam Bam turned back to look at Eruptor.

"That place looks awfully cold." Eruptor winced as he gazed at Slam Bam and then the castle, "Do we really have to go there?"

"Unfortunately so, Rupty," Chihiro said with a gaze directed at Eruptor, "We just need to do some investigating and figure out what's wrong with the place so we can fix it—we'll be out in a flash, mmkay?"

Eruptor considered this for a moment before he gave her a grumpy stare.

"I'll deal with it, but I can't guarantee that I'll like it."

"I'll be right behind you, Ruptor," Slam reassured as he walked up to Eruptor and wrapped a muscular arm around Eruptor's shoulders, "Don't worry a bit."

And with that, the five of them entered the palace of frost and ice, ready to take on whatever challenges came their way…

§

As soon as they entered the castle's gates, all five parties were greeted by bitterly cold breezes and shuddered. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the heat—or rather, lack thereof—of winter! Snow cascaded down from gray skies and dusted the cold, icy ground that crunched under their feet, giant hills and snow piles decorated the land that was otherwise mainly shapeless thanks to the sheer amounts of snow, and there was no life for miles—just snow, ice, snow-covered ice...

"Here's the plan," Spyro said as he flew back and forth in front of them, "First, we need to find out the source of this—"

Spyro was cut off as something hit him on the side of the head—a snowball! As the ball of snow fell off, he snorted and glared at where Chihiro was giggling her head off.

"Sorry!" Chihiro chuckled as she covered her mouth—though that did little to muffle her laughter, "I couldn't help myself!"

"This is no time for joking around, Chihiro!" Spyro shouted, a frown on his face, "We have to find out what's causing this blizzard and stop it! Right, guys?"

Spyro looked towards the other Skylanders for some backup, but they were just barely chuckling and giggling right along with her!

"Seriously?!" Spyro just heaved a sigh before he gained a smile, packed some snow together and formed a round ball that he aimed at Chihiro, "Well, you know what they say, if you can't beat 'em, then join 'em!"

And with that, Spyro tossed the ball and hit Chihiro with it almost immediately.

Chihiro remained speechless for mere moments, before she burst into laughter and tossed a snowball back at him—and soon enough, an all-out snowball war broke out between them.

The others just stared with confused glances, not knowing what to make of this sudden war with snow. All they could do was stand there until the snowballs died and the laughs were reduced to chortles.

"Okay, in all seriousness, we have to find out what's causing this snow storm, so let's go!" Chihiro said as she brushed the snow off her clothes and walked forwards.

However, as Chihiro stepped forward, she stepped into a snow pile and sank all the way down with a thud.

With sharp gasps, the other four dashed to the snow pile and peered into the Chihiro-sized hole it had gained.

"I'm okay!" Chihiro heaved a sigh, "Something tells me I'll have to start thinking these things through."

Grumbles echoed throughout the hole, then a magical whoosh was heard as Chihiro levitated out of the hole and sat down on the snow! Once she was safely out of the hole, she closed her eyes, clapped her hands and watched as what appeared to be a pair of snowshoes made of magic energy appeared on her feet! Chihiro grumbled something to herself as she tied them to her boots, then heaved herself back to her full height and looked back at the Skylanders.

"Okay, NOW we can proceed," Chihiro huffed before she trudged ahead, a close eye kept on the scenery for any other signs of deceptively deep snow piles.

"WA-HOO!"

Chihiro jumped at least a foot into the air as the sound of some wild voice echoed across the frozen fields!

"That wouldn't have happened to come from you guys, right?" Chihiro asked as she turned to face the Skylanders, then grimaced as they all shook their heads.

"I thought as much." Chihiro grit her teeth and looked to the skies.

"YA-HOOEY!"

Chihiro screamed and jumped into the air again as something—or rather, someONE—materialized in front of her!

They were a peach-skinned, wrinkly old wizard with sparkling pale blue eyes, and a long, thin, white beard who held a brown wooden staff with a bright blue orb placed in its center. They wore black and white wizard robes with a wizard hat of the same color, all of which appeared to be made with fabric that was surprisingly light for such cold weather. Were they __asking__ for a cold?

"Uh, who exactly are you, and what are you doing here?" Chihiro asked as she her eyes and pointed at this complete stranger. Her free hand was clutched into a fist and glowed faintly with magic… Just in case.

"Name's Haldor," the wizard said as they floated towards Chihiro and examined her, "An' somethin' tells me you ain't from here!"

"Well, no, I'm a portal master… Well, portal master in training, and the Skylanders and I have come to check things out." Chihiro hovered her hand towards the Skylanders, "I'm Chihiro, and my friends back there are Spyro, Gill Grunt, Eruptor, and Slam Bam."

"Hey there!" Spyro shouted as he waved a scaly purple paw, "So, you have any idea what this place is?"

Haldor's eyes glistened as he jumped in the air with glee.

"It worked!" Haldor proclaimed as he spun back and cleared his throat, "I really did get the Skylanders here!"—As he hovered just inches above the ground, Haldor's eyes widened—"Oh, right I need to tell ya where ya are!"

As he landed on the snow, Haldor tapped his staff on the ground and stretched out his arms in pride.

"Why, this is the island of Vindlevale! The most beautiful island in all'a Skylands!"

"VINDLEVALE?!" All four Skylanders exclaimed as they did double takes.

"No way! Vindlevale is all warm and sunny," Spyro looked around as he spoke, "And this place, is, well, definitely not that. What in Skylands could have caused it? Do you know?"

"Oh I do alright!" Haldor narrowed his eyes and slammed his staff against the icy ground, his mouth broke into a scowl, "It's those dern ice ogres! They just showed up all of a sudden this mornin' and built this big wall that blocked up the sunshine! You know, this place used to be really nice, sun shinin' and flowers growin' all the time, but now that the sun's gone, it's just snow n' ice wherever you look! In fact, Vindlevale once had…"

Chihiro blinked once, then twice as Haldor ranted in the most anger-filled daze that she had ever seen. Even Eruptor when he happened to wake up on the wrong side of the bed wasn't as bad as this!

"Can't you just break the wall down?" Chihiro asked with a shrug and an uneasy smile, "I mean, that sounds easy enough to me."

"No, not at all!" Haldor shook his head as if to exemplify his point, "'Cause whenever people try to come n' get close to the wall, they shoot 'em away with their snowball cannons! The only way we could stop them is if we had something of our own to retaliate with!"—Haldor then paused as a sly smile played across his face, his anger now forgotten—"Like a catapult!"

"A CATAPULT?!" Chihiro's hands balled into fists as she smiled, her eyes lit up like fireworks at the very suggestion, "DOES THAT MEAN I GET TO BLOW STUFF UP?!"

"Chihiro, no!" Spyro shouted as he shot her a glance.

"You bet'cha, missy!" Haldor exclaimed, completely oblivious to the dumbfounded look Spyro gave him, "Now that I think about it, there used to be a nice big one around here!"

Chihiro made a sharp gasp and bounced up and down.

"C'mon, where is it?" Chihiro asked, her smile wider and wider.

"… But, it got destroyed by those ice ogres when they arrived here! And then they scattered its parts all across the island!" Haldor shook his head, "Saw it myself, I did! They rocketed across the sky like shootin' stars!"

"So you need us to find those parts, right?" Chihiro smiled and nodded furiously, "Well, count us in!"

"I like your spirit, miss!" Haldor cleared his throat and rubbed a fist against his chest, "Anyway, if I recall correctly from what I saw, the first part is right around here, so you won' have much trouble findin' it. I'd get it myself, but…"—Haldor chuckled and twirled a lock of his beard—"All this cold's no good for old folks like me, so I'll jus' leave it in you young'uns capabale hands! WA-HOOO!"

And right after that, Haldor disappeared into thin air and left the entrances to two split paths in front of him!

Chihiro stood in front of the Skylanders, her head tilted as she examined the pathways, then turned back to the Skylanders.

"I think we should split up. After all, if what Haldor said is true, it could make it easier to find the parts if we work in two groups instead of one." Chihiro then pointed to the eastern pathway, "Spyro, Gill, you search the eastern path of the island with me."

"Right!" Spyro and Gill Grunt said before they ran through the snow and stopped at the pathway's mouth.

"And Eruptor, Slam Bam, you search the western path!" Chihiro said as she pointed towards the gaping entryway of the western path, "Good luck and stay warm!"

"You got it, Chihiro!" Slam Bam said as he turned around, then realized that Chihiro had left with Spyro and Gill and sighed.

With a firm grasp on Eruptor's round hand, Slam Bam dragged Eruptor towards the western path, their mission clear before them…

§

Spyro, Gill, and Chihiro, meanwhile, were running through snowdrifts as they tried to stay warm in this bone-chilling weather. It was bitterly cold like no other bitterly cold winter any of them had even experienced, and with the snow poured down on them like heavy rain in the spring, it only got worse.

"See anything yet?" Chihiro asked, a hand held over her eyes like a shield as she shivered.

"Nothing yet, Chihiro… Though then again, you can't see much of anything here," Spyro said as he kept his golden eyes on lookout for any forms of life, "All you can see is snow and ice!"

"You got that right." Chihiro sighed as she closed her eyes, snapped her fingers and magicked up a fluffy parka made of aqua magic energy, "You guys needs coats too?"

"Yes, please," Gill Grunt sputtered as he shuddered in the bitter cold. All this cold was probably no good for a fish like him, after all.

With a snap of Chihiro's fingers, warm, fluffy coats made of magic energy manifested on Spyro and Gill Grunt' bodies! The two of them oohed and aahed as they examined the coats, then smiled as they tightened them up and basked in the warmth the two parks provided.

Chihiro basked in her work, a proud stance taken for a few moments until her ears perked up as she heard the faintest voices from a conversation.

"So, as Lord Kaos said…"

Chihiro pushed Spyro and Gill down before anyone could see then and ducked beneath a small snow castle.

"What was that for, Chihiro?!" Spyro hissed as he glared over towards Chihiro.

Chihiro quickly shushed Spyro before she looked over the castle and pointed.

"I think I hear someone talking, listen!" Chihiro hissed, her voice kept down to the lowest volume possible.

Spyro promptly shut his mouth as he and Gill Grunt peered over the castle. The snowstorm had let up only slightly, which allowed for slightly enhanced visibility of the surroundings! As their eyes gazed around for the voice's sources, they rested on a path a few feet straight ahead and froze—metaphorically, not literally.

There, a giant, green-skinned ogre with a tall, black mohawk who wore icy blue camouflage and a sash of gems around their chest was talking with what appeared to be a clone of Gill Grunt that was entirely black save for the specks of blue Water Magic that floated around its body here and there.

"Noodles and his ice ogres will not let you down," said the ogre, their voice gruff and gravely, "Noodles and his ice ogres will do a great job. Noodles and his ice ogres—"

"Will be executed this minute if they ramble all day and don't actually do their job!" Snapped the gillman creature as it bore a scowl.

Gill Grunt widened his eyes as he let go of the snow castle's walls.

"How come that guy looks like you, Gill?" Chihiro asked, her wide brown eyes trained on Gill.

"That's one of Kaos's minions," Gill Grunt whispered back as he looked over at Chihiro and then back at the gillman, "He's an evil clone of me… But what's he doing here?"

"Now, just keep guarding the wall, and keep an eye out for the portal master apprentice and her Skylanders. Lord Kaos doesn't want any of them here," the gillman said as it held up a webbed finger.

"KAOS is behind all this?!" Spyro, Gill Grunt and Chihiro all exclaimed at one at the highest volume they could muster without being heard, their gazes all wide and surprised.

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose," Gill Grunt remarked as he coughed into his webbed hand and collected himself, "But what would he have to gain from taking over this tiny little island?"

"That doesn't matter, Gill," Spyro whispered back, his voice full of venom, "We need to get out of here and get to stopping him!"

His mouth twisted into a snarl, Spyro then dashed out from behind the castle of ice! It was as if impulse completely took him over as he stood in the frosty snow, his eyes flashed red and smoke clouded around his muzzle.

"Hey, Spyro, wait!" Chihiro exclaimed as she and Gill Grunt followed in pursuit.

As Spyro's mouth filled with crackling, red-hot flames, he opened his jaw and got ready to shoot out a sun-hot fireball… Only to get tackled into the snow. Spyro let out a shout of surprise as cold and weight enveloped his body, then shook the snow off of his head and looked up at a very stern-looking Chihiro.

"What was that for?!" Spyro exclaimed as he bore his fangs, "I was about ready to burn them!"

"You just ran off out of nowhere! Those creeps coulda seen you!" Chihiro snapped back as she crossed her arms, "I was just trying to keep you safe!"

"Chihiro, I know what I'm doing—if you hadn't stopped me, we wouldn't have even had to worry about them!"

"Uh, Spyro, Chihiro?" Gill Grunt intervened as he tugged on the back of Chihiro's parka, "Maybe we should keep it down a little—they are right—"

"Do you hear that?" Said the gillman's sinister, gargling voice as it craned its head just a tad to the right… And saw Spyro, Gill Grunt and Chihiro!

"There they are, you incompetent!" The Gillman shouted as he pointed at Chihiro, then watched as Noodles turned around and gasped.

"Hey," Gill Grunt finished as he gently shook Chihiro, "You two might wanna speed it up a little!"

"Why?" Spyro and Chihiro asked in unison.

"Because they found us!"

"They have?!" Spyro and Chihiro both looked back at Gill Grunt, who only pointed a webbed finger aside.

The finger led to where the gillman and Noodles stood and watched, completely dumbfounded as they stared back at Gill Grunt.

"The portal master and her Skylanders!" Noodles exclaimed at last as he stumbled back.

"Well don't just stand there, you incompetent!" The gillman hissed, "Catch them! We can't have them interfering with Lord Kaos's plan!"

"Noodles will not let you down, sir!" Noodles jumped up and then stood tall and rigid as he broke into a salute, "Noodles will capture the portal master and the Skylanders! Noodles will deliver them to Kaos!"

"Quick, now's our chance!" Spyro whispered as he wormed his way out from under Chihiro, "Run!"

With frantic nods of understanding, the three of them dashed off as fast as they could! As Spyro took to the skies and darted ahead, Chihiro snagged Gill Grunt's hand and bit her lip.

"Okay, come on, magic affliction thingie…" Chihiro whispered as she clasped the collar of her parka tight, "Make me super fast!"

As she spoke these words, Chihiro channeled all her magic and all her might into her feet, then looked down and saw them shimmer in a bright cyan against the snow! Now filled with energy, Chihiro beamed and ran off at the speed of light!

"Woohoo! Now I know how cheetahs feel!" Chihiro shouted as she raced past Spyro, her voice echoed against the snowy valleys with cheer… Then…

"WAIT, WAIT, TOO FAST! TOO FAST! STOP, SLOW DOWN, PLEASE—" Chihiro's shouts were muffled by the sound of someone falling into snow, "I meant to do that!"

"Noodles will make absolutely certain that—" Noodles promised—only for him to get a sharp, wet slap from the gillman.

"YOU IMBECILE!" The gillman screamed as it pointed to the space where Chihiro and the Skylanders once rested, which was now completely devoid of life, "ALL THIS TIME, YOU JUST RAMBLED ON AND ON WHEN YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN THEM!"

"Wait, Noodles did?" Noodles paused and looked over to where the gillman was pointing only for his jaw to drop, "Oh no, Noodles __did__!"

Now in a complete panic, Noodles flailed his arms like they had never flailed before!

"What'll we do, what'll we do?! Lord Kaos will be very mad at us if we let them escape!" Noodles ran in circles around the gillman, which was probably a feat in itself given the sheer amount of snow piled all over the place.

"Calm down, you incompetent!" the gillman slapped its fin against Noodles' face a second time, only for its fishy face to turn sly as Noodles paid attention to it once more, "Have we forgotten the blizzard machine?"

"Ooh, ooh, Noodles like the blizzard machine!" Noodles frowned as he placed a finger against his chin, "What's the blizzard machine?"

The gillman slapped its fin against his forehead. It then grabbed a mechanical, box-shaped remote with a snowflake knob out of its pocket and turned the knob clockwise twice.

"This ought to slow them down for a while," it whispered. As it spoke, snow began falling down from the heavens and a smirk fell across its dark, wet lips.

"And give us just enough time to catch them."

§

"Slam," Eruptor whined as he tapped Slam Bam's shoulder, "Slam! Slaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmm—"

"What is it, Ruptor?" Slam Bam asked, though he had a feeling he knew what Eruptor was going to say.

"Do you see any signs of a catapult part anywhere? Because I sure can't!"

"Not yet," Slam didn't even bother to look at Eruptor as he trudged forwards.

"Then again, you can't see much of anything in this blizzard." Eruptor squinted his eyes and held a round hand over his eyes, "All you can see is snow, snow, snow for miles on end!"

"That couldn't be more true." Slam crossed his arms as he spoke, "Whoever caused this blizzard pulled out all the stops."

Slam then looked over to the other side of the area, which was nearly identical to the area they were in and grimaced just slightly. Having grown up on an iceberg, Slam was normally pretty good at navigating snowy terrains in even the fiercest blizzards—but now, he may have met his match.

"Come on, Ruptor." Slam stomped all over the powdery snow, "Maybe we'll have more luck if we go further."

Eruptor tried to follow, but he fell over himself and landed head-first in a snow pile with a yelp of surprise.

"Ruptor!" Slam turned around and found Eruptor lying head-first in an abnormally large snow bank.

Eruptor soon pulled his head out of the bank, shook the snow that hadn't melted from the heat off of his head and pouted as he crossed his arms.

"I hate snow," Eruptor grumbled, then paused to brush snowflakes off his top.

"Yeah, I know." Slam Bam chuckled and rolled his eyes. "C'mon 'Ruptor, lemme help you up,"—Slam Bam then walked over to where Eruptor was and pulled him up—"Y'know, you're almost kind of cute when you're grumpy."

Slam gently nuzzled the top of Eruptor's head with his nose, then smiled as Eruptor quickly turned away.

"Slammm..." Eruptor turned away, his body a bit warmer than usual as the slightest smile now stretched across his own volcanic face, "You know that always makes me melt…"

Before Slam Bam could reply, however, another voice broke into the conversation.

"Well, well, look what we have here. A couple of Skylanders, poking their noses where they shouldn't be."

It was a deep voice, much like Slam Bam's, and yet, it wasn't his at all.

And as Eruptor trembled and clung to Slam, they both turned around and screamed with horror.

Right in front of Slam Bam was a yeti much like him, except this yeti was made entirely out of darkness save for the specks of blue Water magic that floated around in its body!

"So, looks like the Skylanders made it here after all," the yeti said while it stomped in front of Slam Bam with every piercing word, "Lord Kaos should be happy to see you."

Slam balled his hands into fists while Eruptor shuddered from both the cold and the tension. Then, without warning, Eruptor hacked out a giant magma ball which tumbled all around in the snow!

"Sorry," Eruptor apologized as he scratched the back of his head.

However, something else kicked the magma ball out of the area and joined the evil version of Slam Bam! It looked exactly like Eruptor, except it was entirely black save for specks of red fire magic that floated in the giant mass of darkness it called a body. Everything about it radiated evil—from the fanged grin it made as it watched Eruptor stare at it with complete shock to the heat that radiated off its body.

"So, what should we do with them?" the evil Eruptor asked, a malicious gaze on its face.

"I say we should bring them to…" The evil yeti bellowed, then paused for moments before it spoke again, this time with a dramatic tone…

"THE DUNGEONS! Dun dun DUN!"

"We don't have a dungeon here, genius." The evil Eruptor just looked with disdain at the evil yeti.

"Then we'll just have to make one." The evil yeti folded its four arms together.

"We don't have the time to make a dungeon, either!" The Eruptor shook a hand at the yeti.

"Nevermind that then! Let's just get them!" The evil yeti gave Slam Bam a dark stare that said one thing—he was ready to fight!

"I've been itching to take some prisoners."

"What makes you think we'll go down without a fight?" Slam Bam said, his yellow eyes narrowed and his knuckles cracked.

With a mighty roar, Slam Bam jumped forward and threw a punch at the evil yeti, but the evil yeti only blocked it with its own fist! With a smirk it thrust forward and tossed Slam Bam into a snowdrift, but Slam Bam wasn't going to give up so easily. He staggered out of the snow right as the evil yeti leaped after him and grabbed its balled fists with his hands!

The two of them were locked in combat! Neither party budged as they both tried unsuccessfully to push each other away. After all, that evil yeti was Slam Bam's complete equal in ability—their strength was perfectly matched.

__But, if I can't stop him, then he can't stop me, __Slam Bam thought as he narrowed his furry eyebrows, __Hopefully this can buy Ruptor enough time to stop them…__

Slam Bam heard a yowl of pain and looked over the evil yeti's muscular shoulder to find Eruptor face-first into the snow, completely unconscious! Eruptor's evil counterpart stood tall and leering over the good half, its blank eyes trained on Slam Bam.

Slam Bam gasped and loosened his grip, only for the yeti to punch him right in his slack jaw. Slam Bam didn't care, though—the pain was only an afterthought as he stumbled out and raced to Eruptor's side.

"Ruptor, you alright?" Slam asked as he tried to shake Eruptor awake, but it was useless—Eruptor was out cold.

"And now for you," growled the evil yeti.

Slam Bam felt a shadow drop over him, and looked up to see that both the evil yeti and evil Eruptor had circled around him! Before he could react, they both conked him upside the head simultaneously and left behind a pain so intense it made his vision go fuzzy!

And with that, the world went dark.

§

"Say, guys, think we're getting closer to that part?" Chihiro asked as she held onto Gill Grunt's fin.

"Can't tell," Spyro replied as his wings flapped hard against the bitter winter air, "Too much snow."

The three of them stopped and paused as they looked over the endless plains of powdery snow while more snowflakes poured down by the second.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure this snowstorm wasn't nearly as bad when we got here," Chihiro said as she looked behind them and let go of Gill's fin, "We'd better find those parts before it gets worse!"

With nothing else to say, the three of them walked forward in an infinite journey. No matter how far they walked, the winds grew colder, the snow grew bigger, and everything around them slowly devolved into endless masses of powder.

Spyro shook his head as he tried to clear his vision, but it was no use—there was nothing but snow for miles on end! As he gave up on seeing anything other than snow, Spyro looked back at Gill Grunt, who only shrugged his scaly shoulders.

"I can't see a thing, Spyro!" Gill Grunt said while his eyes moved back and forth as he tried to find anything other than snow.

"You and me both, Gill." Spyro careened his head and peeked a glimpse behind Gill Grunt, "Hey, Chi, do you see anything back there?"

But he didn't get a response—only silence.

"Chi? Chihiro?" Spyro walked to the rear of their group, but found no one!

"Chihiro!" Spyro called with a paw cupped round his mouth, a drop of fear in his voice.

But there was no response. It was completely silent other than his echo and the howling, bitterly cold winds.

"Gill, Gill, we've got a problem!" Spyro shouted as he looked back at Gill Grunt, "I think we've lost Chihiro!"

"Wait, what?" Gill turned around and looked at the rear of the group, "But she was behind us just a couple steps ago!"

"She must've gotten lost in all this snow." Spyro then tried to fly through the snow, but found it was near impossible—the strong winds kept him down on the ground, "We've gotta find her!"

In an absolute refusal to be deterred, Spyro staggered back up and trudged through the snow, but the winds continued to press down on him and made it near-impossible for him to move. As Spyro was pushed down to the ground, Gill quickly grabbed Spyro and pulled him back up.

"Easy there, Spy," Gill Grunt asked as he watched Spyro nod, then looked up across the snowy valleys, "I wanna find her too, but we need to figure out where we are first! I can't tell my left from my right in this place with all this snow!"

Spyro then flew up again, swerved his head and found that Gill was right—there was nothing but snow and ice for miles on end, and it was growing—fast. As Spyro stopped flying for the thirtieth time and dropped to the cold ground, he noticed one thing immediately—the snow was already up to their waists, and it was covering them fast.

"For that matter, maybe we should worry about getting out of here first, Gill," Spyro tried to trudge through the snow but found that he could barely lift his legs, which were beginning to feel numb.

He then turned around and found Gill Grunt trying to push the snow away, but Gill Grunt had no luck. It was far too massive for one gillman and dragon all on their own to clear.

"I know, a fireball ought to do the trick!" Spyro snapped a claw and smirked.

But, when he cast one of his fireballs, it just shrunk to small embers!

"Crap!" Spyro exclaimed before he frowned deeply. Flames crackled at his mouth, Spyro shot out another barrage of fireballs, but they all had the same fate—they simply shrunk and disappeared like each one before them.

Spyro panted heavily while his head bobbed up and down. The smoke that formed around his jaws completely diminished and his wings slowly dropped down.

"There's… Gotta, be, a…" Spyro never got to finish his sentence, for his vision went black and he passed out in the snow!

"SPYRO!" Gill Grunt grabbed Spyro and picked up his unconscious body, "Spyro, are you okay?! Wake up!"

However, Gill Grunt himself dropped Spyro back into the snow as his feet swayed back and forth. Soon enough, Gill Grunt passed out as well, his body laid around Spyro's as the snow piled up around them…

§

When Slam awoke, his vision was as blurry as blurry could be! But, with a groan and a quick shake of his head, his consciousness turned clear. Though the pain from the nice little bump those evil clones gave him lingered, he did feel a little more rested and recovered now.

__Those grunts are going to beg for mercy when I'm done with them, __Slam growled mentally as he cracked his knuckles, __For now, though, I need to find out where Ruptor is—and where we are.__

Slam Bam heard a soft moan close by and turned over to find Eruptor, who was still unconscious but otherwise intact. Slam Bam then breathed a sigh of relief and gently shook Eruptor.

"Ruptor, wake up," Slam whispered as his eyes darted around the area, "C'mon, Ruptor, now's no time for a snow-cat nap!"

"N-no ma, I don' wanna go to school, all the other lava monsters will make fun of me..." Eruptor mumbled as he tossed and turned in his sleep.

"Eruptor, what are you talking about?" Slam Bam furrowed his brow.

With another groan, Eruptor's eyes scrunched together and then slowly opened. He seemed oddly peaceful as he blinked a couple times, probably still in a sleepy haze—but that was not to last as he awoke fully and swerved his head left and right, his eyes wide with panic.

"Slam Bam, are you there!?" Eruptor yelped as he looked around, now raw with panic.

Slam Bam cautiously placed a clawed hand on Eruptor's shoulder, but that wasn't so wise. Eruptor's anxiety made him burn up a thousand times more—literally—and seared Slam Bam's hand! With a burn and a yelp, Slam quickly retreated his hand and blew on his scorched palm.

Eruptor stopped short, then looked up at Slam Bam and beamed.

"Slam, there you are!" Eruptor exclaimed as he wrapped Slam Bam in a hug, his body notably cooler now, "For a minute I thought they took you away!"

Eruptor looked around the area, as did Slam Bam, and they both found that it was the polar opposite—pun intended—of where they once were. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and all around them grew a wide variety of flowers and lush green grass.

"Slam, where are we?" Eruptor clung to one of Slam Bam's muscular arms as his mouth dipped into a soft frown.

"I have absolutely no idea." Slam whispered in awe as he watched a pair of butterflies fly by them.

"Well, wherever this place is, they need to fix their air conditioning! It's getting really chilly!" Eruptor shivered before he was lifted off the ground by Slam Bam.

"And wherever this place is, we need to get out of here. We've got to get back to Vindlevale!" Slam Bam hugged Eruptor tight and made a heavy sprint across the grassy green fields.

As they ran, Eruptor's eyes glazed across the fields before he saw something that made those eyes of his practically pop out of his skull!

"Slam, stop! Look at this!" Eruptor frantically nudged Slam Bam as he pointed at the object.

"Look at what, Rupt—Woah!" Slam Bam stopped and turned around to find out what Eruptor was pointing at!

There, frozen in a giant block of ice that was slowly melting away were Spyro and Gill Grunt, both completely unconscious!

"Spyro? Gill?" Slam asked as he tilted his head, then heard mumbling and ducked behind the giant ice block, "How'd they get trapped in there?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Slam." Eruptor tilted his head as well before he frowned and jumped out of Slam Bam's arms, "But we need to get them out!"

Slam Bam crackled his knuckles and nodded, about ready to throw some punches when…

"Yes, Lord Kaos, the Skylanders have been secured," said someone with a gargling, malevolent voice, who then paused as the person they were communicating with said something just out of Slam Bam and Eruptor's hearing range.

As Slam Bam and Eruptor paused and looked over, someone else came by while they mumbled something to someone else via a small, metal communicator pinned to their wrist. This person looked almost exactly like Gill Grunt, except its body was made of nothing but black darkness and the occasional speck or piece of blue water magic, and whatever its were doing, it seemed perfectly absorbed in that thing—as its eyes were completely trained on the grassy ground.

"The others? Oh, don't worry about them, they're unconscious thanks to the Evil Lava Monster and the Evil Ice Yeti. Four whole Skylanders, in our clutches and primed to be delivered to you! What joy~" The gillman said as it brushed a webbed foot against the grass.

"He's talking about us!" Eruptor and Slam Bam whispered sharply as they exchanged panicked glances at each other.

"We need to get them out." Eruptor shook just a tiny bit more as his body heated up a few degrees, "Because I have a feeling that they're going to do something to them, and it won't be something pretty. Not like this place, anyway."

"Wait, who needs to get them out, Lord Kaos?" The gillman said, "Lord Kaos, what are you…"—The gillman looked up and its jaw promptly dropped—"… I'll call you back, Lord Kaos."

As it turned off the communicator, the gillman growled and whipped out a giant harpoon gun, while Eruptor and Slam Bam readied their battle stances. The gillman pulled the trigger on its gun and shot out rapid-fire blasts of water, but Slam was equally quick to respond as he tossed out blasts of ice in exchange!

The two forced collided in a mighty blasts that froze the water blasts into solid icicles! But nevertheless, they followed their trajectory—not that Slam Bam was worried. As soon as they flew near him, he grabbed each and every icicle and shot it back at the gillman!

The gillman only scoffed as it darted out the way of every single icicle and laughed.

"You really think that's going to stop me?!" The gillman asked with a remarkable snide tone.

"Not really," Slam Bam admitted as he shook his head, "But this might!"

Slam Bam raced off with a heavy dash, his bulky hands balled into fists, and punched the gillman right in its slippery gut! Slam watched with pride as the gillman made a choking noise and flew a couple feet across the air! It was definitely done for now!… Except the gillman grabbed tight onto the straps of its jetpack and sent itself flying! As water pounded down onto the ground and probably gave the plants a good drink, it flew back around and landed in front of Slam Bam, a sneer on its slick lips.

"What does Kaos want with that place?!" Slam Bam growled as he cracked his knuckles and went after the gillman once more.

"I wouldn't know, snow for brains!" The evil gillman shot back as it dodged a punch from Slam Bam and jumped on his extended arm, "I just follow orders! And besides, even if I supposedly did why would I tell you?"

The gillman whipped out its gun and shot a stream of scalding water directly at Slam Bam, which caused him to stumble backwards and fall on his back! As he wiped the water off his face and stood back up, Slam clenched his teeth.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?!" Slam Bam crafted several giant blocks of ice and shot them at the gillman, "Tell me, now! What does Kaos want with Vindlevale?!"

"You don't seem to like listening, do you?" The gillman casually dodged every single ice block Slam Bam threw its way, "I told you already, you giant—OOF!"

The gillman was promptly body slammed by another, even larger ice statue and sent on its back.

"Listen, this place has to have something Kaos wants." Slam Bam walked forward as he stretched his arms, completely ready to fight, "What is it?!"

"I told you, I don't know?!" The gillman looked to its side, saw its harpoon gun and promptly rolled across to it, "You Skylanders are all the same, so obstinate!"

The gillman grabbed its harpoon gun, and in a flash it loaded a harpoon into the barrel and fired straight at Slam Bam!

"And I've lost my patience! Good talking to you, yeti!"

The harpoon barreled dangerously close to Slam Bam, about ready to strike… And was promptly pushed out the way by what could only be described as a giant blob of magma!

"HUH?!"

"Forgetting someone?" Shouted a familiar, gravely voice as another magma blob slammed into the gillman and rolled it across the battlefield, a path of flames left in its wake.

"Ruptor!" Slam Bam called as he turned around and saw Eruptor blow off his giant, flaming hands.

Eruptor beamed up at Slam Bam, a peaceful silence between the two… Until Eruptor was blown back by a giant stream of hot water! Slam Bam gasped and looked ahead to find that the gillman had gotten back on its fins!

"Ruptor!" Slam Bam called as he ran back to Eruptor's side.

Thankfully, Eruptor wasn't harmed at all by the sudden blast—just a little annoyed as he shook the water off. Eruptor looked up at the clear blue sky and smiled, then his stomach rumbled and he gulped.

"That can't be good," Eruptor said as he rubbed his stomach… Then his cheeks puffed…

And within moments, Eruptor hacked up a stream of lava that poured through the fields—and scorched the evil gillman, who jumped at least a foot in the air as it yowled in pain.

"Seriously, Ruptor?!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he gave Eruptor a dark, lancing glare.

"Sorry, allergies acting up." Eruptor gave Slam a sheepish look as he shrugged his rocky shoulders.

The evil gillman landed on its back as its body disappeared into dark blue sphere of magic that laid dormant on the grass. All around, the lava quickly cooled into volcanic rock and made the fields look a lot less prettier than before.

"Well, at least that took care of that." Slam Bam stepped out from the giant ice prison, then walked past the spheres and frowned, "Now, next order of business—how do we get them out?"

Slam Bam and Eruptor looked back up at Spyro and Gill Grunt's icy prison, then narrowed their eyes.

"I'll go first." Slam Bam readied his fists, "I've got a lot of experience working with ice!"

Slam Bam promptly punched the ice, then felt a sharp pain surge through his body and released his fists.

"It's rock solid!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he rubbed his aching hands.

"Alright then, let me try! Maybe we just need to turn up the heat!" Eruptor gleefully skipped ahead and held out his hands, "You might wanna stand back."

As Slam Bam heeded Eruptor's warning, Eruptor clapped his hands and caused molten hot lava to spill out!… Molten hot lava that promptly cooled and turned to rock in seconds.

Both Slam Bam and Eruptor stood with jaws gaped. Clearly they needed a new plan…

"You think this is magic ice or something?" Eruptor asked as he looked over at Slam Bam.

"I doubt it—I've worked with magic ice plenty, and this ain't it." Slam Bam shook his furry head as if to affirm his statement.

"And why's it gotten so cold?" Eruptor shuddered and looked aside only to see several snowflakes fly past them, "Snowflakes?"

As more snowflakes flew past them, the two of them ran over to what they presumed was the flakes' source. As they ran farther and farther, the wind grew even more chilling and frost started to decorate the flora—as if winter was on its way…

Slam Bam frowned and looked around to see small snow piles formed and scattered across the snow, then felt a chill rush through his bone. It was awfully cold—and he didn't mind that by itself, no, but why was it so cold in a place that was so sunny and warm?

Slam stared over at the snowdrifts a few more times with concern, then felt something warm brush against his skin.

"Slam, look at this!" Eruptor exclaimed as he looked in front of them.

Slam Bam followed his gaze and gasped!

There in front of them was a giant wall made entirely of snow and ice! It was massive, about the size of several castles stacked on top of each other, and its snow glistened in the sunlight but refused to melt.

"Wait a second…" Slam Bam said as he placed a hand on his furry chin, "I don't think they took us away FROM Vindlevale… I think this place IS Vindlevale!"

"What?" Eruptor turned back to Slam Bam and frowned.

"Remember what that Haldor dude was talking about?" Slam Bam rubbed his chin further, his mind in contemplation, "About how this was warm and sunny until how this ice wall was built?"

"Oh, that thing!" Eruptor chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "… I wasn't really paying attention to him."

Slam Bam playfully rolled his eyes, then looked over the wall. There was a thin, round crack in the shape of a door near the bottom of the wall. The crack was done in what seemed to be a perfect image—almost a little TOO perfect, even.

With a frown, Slam Bam walked over to the ice that surrounded the crack and gently pushed on it—then reeled back just a bit as the ice receded and revealed a pathway! Slam Bam peered inside, and saw that at the end was indeed the icy Vindlevale they once roamed.

"C'mon Ruptor!" Slam Bam raced inside the pathway, "We've got no time to lose!"

§

"Spyro? Gill?" Chihiro called as she shuddered and drew her magic parka close to her body. It was so, so cold, and even with the intense heat her parka provided she still felt chilled to the very bone.

"Are you there, guys?" Tears formed in Chihiro's eyes as she sat in the snow piles. She should have never taken that wrong turn. For all she knew, Spyro and Gill could be lost or hurt or even worse!

"What am I gonna do?" Chihiro sighed to herself as she glazed over the lands before her—still covered in snow, snow and more snow, still completely lost to her mind, still had those oddly familiar voices...

"Have you gotten any messages—"

"Is that Slam Bam?" Chihiro whispered to herself as her ears perked up and her face gained a half-smile.

Chihiro turned around, saw a faint, yellow light, and her grin grew even wider as she tumbled over the snow banks and found that she was correct! There, right in front of her, were Slam Bam and Eruptor! Granted, they hadn't seemed to have noticed her yet, and something about them seemed off but she couldn't pin down what… Oh, what did that matter? She found them, at least, and that was all that really mattered right now!

"Guys!" Chihiro shouted as she waved towards them.

The two of them looked over to Chihiro and stopped short, then muttered something among themselves.

"Uh, uh… You kid!" Slam Bam called as he walked towards her in a manner that seemed just a bit distant…

Chihiro frowned and tilted her head.

"My name's Chihiro, silly!" Chihiro replied, then frowned a bit deeper as Slam Bam froze.

"Oh, oh, yes, I knew that, it's just the cold getting to me and all!" Slam Bam said, "Anyways, what's been going on—"

Slam Bam stopped short as Chihiro grabbed his rough hands and looked up at him with teary eyes.

"Look, after the blizzard I got separated from Spyro and GillandIcan'tfindthemandIthinktheymightbe—"

Slam Bam and Eruptor just blinked once… Then twice… Then three times in a row as the blankly watched Chihiro cry.

"Uh, slow down, start from the beginning," Eruptor said as he broke into a wary frown.

"Yeah, slow down," Slam Bam added, "What're you crying about?"

As her tears fell and froze on her cheeks, Chihiro wiped the tiny icicles away and meekly stared at them.

"Well, when we split up Spyro, Gill and I were trying for that catapult part that wizard dude wanted, but then the blizzard got really nasty and I lost sight of them!" Chihiro sniffled as she bit her lip, "… I tried looking for them, but all this snow covered up everything and now I can't anything apart! And on top of all that I still haven't found that stupid catapult part!"

Chihiro sniffled and rubbed her nose, then looked up to see Slam Bam and Eruptor… Smiling? What the heck? What's there to be happy about right now?

"Why're you guys smiling?"

Slam Bam jolted as his grin turned uneasy.

"Well, er, uh, we're just, um so happy to see that you're alright!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he nodded.

"Yeah, yeah!" Eruptor affirmed before he grabbed Slam Bam's arm, "Can Slam Bam and I talk for a bit?"

"Uh, sure, I guess?" Chihiro tilted her head as she watched them walk away.

That was strange… Eruptor almost never called Slam Bam by his full name—had they gotten into a fight with each other while they had gotten split up? She was too preoccupied to worry that much about it. Her eyes glazed over where Slam Bam and Eruptor were discussing something among themselves in hushed whispers, then turned around and waved at her before they talked some more.

With another nod, the two of them walked back to Chihiro with oddly wide grins.

"Don't you worry a hair on your little head," Eruptor said as he gently tapped her head to affirm his statement, "We'll find the other Skylanders and make sure this place gets taken care of!"

"… Are you guys feeling alright?" Chihiro whispered as she dusted the powdery snow from her person.

"O-oh course!" Eruptor giggled and held his hands together, "What could possibly make you think otherwise?"

"Well, you keep talking really funny and you keep making these weird smiles and—"

Eruptor only continue to laugh as tiny rocks dropped form his body.

"Well, er, you see—"

"LET'S NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he pushed Eruptor aside, "Right now, we should probably worry about getting that catapult thingie you were looking for!"

"I guess you're right," Chihiro said with a shrug as she stampeded forward. As she walked though, she couldn't shake this feeling of unease—like there was something loomed over her and ready to strike!

With a frown she turned around to find Slam Bam and Eruptor both leaned so far over her they looked like they were about ready to topple over! They had abnormally wide grins on their faces, and all their arms were behind their backs.

"Slam? Eruptor?" Chihiro tilted her head, "Do you feel funny too?"

"Like what?"

"Like there's something getting ready to attack you at any moment funny?" Chihiro made a confused look as Slam Bam and Eruptor both laughed.

"It's probably just the tension from the mission," Slam Bam said as he patted Chihiro's shoulder and turned her to the front, "Don't worry about it!"

Chihiro bit her lip and threw her hand in her sweatpants. As she did, it made a subtle glow—just a warm-up, a precaution just in case. As she walked further, she felt that dangerous presence again and turned around—but once again, it was just Slam Bam and Eruptor walking through the snow.

While Slam Bam could easily traverse the snowy banks and mounds of ice, Eruptor could only trudge through the bone-numbing cold—but surprisingly, not one complaint came from his mouth.

__That's weird, __Chihiro thought as she cast Eruptor a glance, __Usually, he'd be complaining about how cold it is, or how he can't get anywhere with his stubby lil' legs! Something's definitely up, but what—__

Chihiro then stopped short as she looked forward and saw something vaguely brownish poke out from a snow pile!

"There!" Chihiro scrambled forward, yanked the object out of the snow pile and smiled widely. Because there in her hand was what appeared to be the broken and splintered parts of a catapult's bottom, complete with worn wheels—the first part she sought for so long!

"Guys! Guys, I found it!" Chihiro shouted as she looked around—but Slam Bam and Eruptor were nowhere to be seen!

"Guys?"

Chihiro bit her lip as her head swerved all around, a sense of dread crawled up on her.

"So you did, did you?"

As footsteps made their way towards her, Chihiro looked up and froze in fear.

Because the people that stood in front of her weren't Slam Bam and Eruptor—they were evil clones! As she held the piece of the catapult close to her heart, Chihiro climbed up a snow bank and narrowly missed a statue of ice shot by the evil Slam Bam copy.

"You guys are Kaos's cronies!" Chihiro exclaimed as her heart pounded.

"Ding, ding, ding, give the girl a prize~" crowed the evil version of Eruptor, who had an evil sneer across its molten lava lips.

"Yeah, yeah, can we get to the fight now?!" The evil Slam Bam said as it crackled its knuckles and bore its sharp, sharp teeth.

Chihiro just kept backing up, the catapult piece still clutched to her heart. She knew something was up! She really should've trusted her gut!

"What did you do to the real Slam Bam and Eruptor?!" Chihiro demanded as her brow furrowed, "You better not have—"

"Oh, don't worry, Lord Kaos will be very kind to them—if you come along quietly."

As the evil Slam Bam and Eruptor advanced on her, Chihiro threw her hidden hand out in front of her person! A bright, cyan light shot out from her hand, its harshness only amplified by the shining snow. While the evil clones reeled back in shock, Chihiro dashed off with a pounding heart.

"She's getting away, get her!" The evil Eruptor shouted in the distance.

As Chihiro ran, she heard the sound of pounding footsteps and upturned snow, then turned around to see they were hot on her trail! With a gasp, she tried to run faster, but her body was starting from exhaustion.

__I need to cast that speed spell again! __Chihiro thought as she held the catapult close to her heart and closed her eyes, __C'mon, c'mon…__

Chihiro felt a soft glow emit and opened her eyes to see her feet glow for a minute… Then go out instantly. No magic sensation, no increased speed—nope, nadda.

__Okay, let's try this again! __Chihiro focused a second time, but with the same results as before—looks like she was too unfocused to cast!

__Of all the times to not be able to use my powers, it had to be this time! __Chihiro smacked her hand against her forehead as she ran to a snowbank.

Her body finally at its limit, she collapsed onto the snow and panted heavily as she hugged the catapult piece close to her heart. As her whole body ached from the cold and the running, she felt a shadow cast over her and looked up to find that the evil clones had caught up!

"You gave us a lot of trouble, kid," The evil Slam Bam said as it clasped its hands together and grinned, "But I'm sure the promotion from Lord Kaos will be worth it!"

The two of them laughed and walked forward as Chihiro scrambled back only to bump into something cold and hard—crap, she was stuck! As the two of them imposed themselves over her, Chihiro gulped and bit her lip, stuck in a frantic haze when…

SMACK!

A snowball hit the evil Slam Bam in the back of the head! In a fit of shock it shouted out and fell into the snow.

"Back off of her, you creeps!"

Chihiro heard another familiar voice and her soul soared. There, right across from her were the actual Slam Bam and Eruptor, armed with snowballs and not afraid to use them!

"Slam! Rupty! It really is you!" Chihiro shouted before her smile turned into a frown, "It, IS you, right?"

"No time to talk, Chi! We've got some evil clones to handle!" shouted back Slam Bam as he tossed another snowball!

The evil Eruptor growled as the snow immediately melted, only for at least ten more to smack it square in the face!

Eruptor went to grab a snowball… But it just melted in his grasp. He only sighed, then shot out blobs of magma at the evil clones!

However, before they could make contact the magma blobs were matched by giant blocks of ice and were blown to rocky bits!

Eruptor made a surprised gasp, then looked ahead to see that the evil Slam Bam had finally pulled itself out of the snow and growled. Judging by the snarl on its face and the fact that all four of its hands were balled into fists, it was most certainly __not __happy.

"You know what?" Slam Bam said as he tossed the snowballs aside, "Forget snowballs! We're settling this the good old-fashioned way!"

Slam Bam launched himself forward and locked hands with the evil version of Eruptor! The evil Eruptor grunted and yowled in pain as Slam Bam locked it in a headlock, then tossed it to the ground. With a growl, it staggered back up, opened its mouth and spewed molten hot lava everywhere!

Slam Bam yelped and jumped out of the way, but Eruptor merely smirked.

"Two can play at that game!" Eruptor proclaimed as he clapped his hands together and shot out flaming hot balls made of magma and rock!

The evil Eruptor's jaw dropped as the magma balls steamrolled through the magma and absorbed said magma into their bodies without a second thought! The increase of material had caused the magma balls to grow triple their prior size and speed, and soon enough they barreled straight towards the evil clones.

"That can't be good," The evil Eruptor and Slam Bam said in unison as the looked up at the now dangerously close magma balls…

Which promptly slammed into them! The sheer amount of raw force caused the evil clones to explode into a shower of energy spheres as the magma slowly cooled. At that was left now were Chihiro, Slam Bam and Eruptor, who watched in awe as the scenery returned to a state of piece.

With a judging look, Eruptor waddled closer to the magma balls… Only to drop into a snowdrift and get buried up to the near-tip of his head in snow!

"How do I get myself into these messes?" Eruptor moaned as he watched the snow pile around him.

Chihiro only giggled, then closed her eyes and snapped her fingers. When she popped them open, Eruptor levitated outside of the snowdrift and landed safely next to her! Then with a smile, Chihiro hugged him tight and laughed.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay!" Chihiro exclaimed as she let go of Eruptor, "… Say, what happened to you guys, anyways?"

"Those things happened," Slam Bam growled as he crossed his muscular arms, "Those clowns knocked us out and tossed us on the other side of that ice wall! If I hadn't woken up when I did, they probably would've shipped us, Spyro and Gill to Kaos—"

"Wait a second!" Chihiro jumped away from Eruptor and looked up at Slam Bam, "You know what happened to them?!"

"I do, but it's not good." Slam Bam shook his head and frowned, "Kaos had them frozen solid. We tried to get them out, but it seems like the cold's keeping them frozen in."

Chihiro's face fell as she heard Slam Bam's words, but only for a moment—she immediately afterwards shook her head as fires built in her eyes.

"Then we'll just have to make that catapult, break down that ice wall and save them!" Chihiro proclaimed as she proudly held out the catapult piece in her hands, "And I've got just the thing to start us off with!"

§

"Wa-hoo! You guys foun' the first part of the catapult!"

Slam, Eruptor and Chihiro's eyes all went wide as they heard Haldor's voice resounded out across the snowy plains. Their eyes then trailed over to where something was materializing out of nowhere—Haldor himself!

When he finally materialized, Haldor cleared his throat and made a fairly toothless smile.

"I knew you whippersnappers could do it!" Haldor proclaimed as he waved his staff, "Now, follow me and I'll show ya where to put it!"

With a final turn of his staff, everybody around was enveloped in light!

When the light faded, they found themselves at an area that was surprisingly light in snow, but bone-chillingly cold nonetheless. You could make out some stone walls and other structures that were all dusted by powdery, fluffy white snow, but they were of no mind—what was most important was the giant, snowy wall that loomed over everything around.

"That must be the ice wall, right?" Chihiro asked as her eyes gazed over to Haldor, who only made a nod filled with tranquil rage.

"But, when this catapult here is finished, we can send that ayesore packin'!" Haldor shouted as he tapped a clear area before them with his staff, "Just place that part here, kiddo!"

Chihiro nodded and skipped over to the place Haldor mentioned, then gently laid the broken catapult piece down on the ground. As she stood to her full height and looked down, she couldn't help but frown—now that she'd had to chance to look it over more, it did seem awfully run-down… Could it really support the weapon they needed?

"Now, this is where ah come in." Haldor rubbed his hands together, then waved his staff and shot a bolt of magic at the part!

The magic completely absorbed the catapult part, then faded to reveal a pristine catapult bottom with rich brown-colored wood and shiny, most definitely working wheels!

Chihiro gasped as she gazed down at the part, then the fires in her soul stoked up once more.

"So, where's the next part, Haldor?" Chihiro smiled widely and balled her hand into a fist.

"If I had to take a gander… I'd check out that really icy pond!" Haldor then pointed towards a giant pond that was covered in thick ice and located south from their position, "And then after that, there's a teleporter on that there pond that takes you to the southmost part of the island! Based on where I saw those parts fly off that's prolly it!"

Chihiro, Slam Bam and Eruptor all beamed and nodded in agreement, but as they nodded they all heard something that sounded like… Marching?

"The ice ogres!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he looked over the eastern side of the platform they stood on.

Paired with the sound of stomping was what appeared to be a platoon of soldiers dressed in blue and armor, and though they were a good bit away they were closing in—fast!

Haldor gasped as he looked over at the oncoming platoon, then waved his staff and shot a bolt of magic at the in-progress catapult! Within moments it disappeared completely from view, only plain snow visible to the naked eye.

"Invisibility spell!" Haldor tipped his hat and smiled, "Now, since those ice ogres are a'comin, I'd better be a'goin now!"—Haldor waved, then cleared his throat once more and gained a wild gaze—"WA-HOO!"

And with that, Haldor vanished and left nothing but magic dust in his place.

Chihiro just blinked and shook her head before she turned back to Eruptor and Slam Bam.

"You heard the wizard! We need to get going!" Chihiro ordered as she looked down and saw the ice ogre platoon draw closer!

A sense of urgency enveloped her mind as she closed her eyes then clasped her hands. When she opened them, a round, cyan-colored slide formed down the side of their platform!

"C'mon!" Chihiro smiled and waved as she jumped on the slide and slid down with a cheer.

Slam Bam and Eruptor shrugged and followed Chihiro down soon after, screams echoed all around as slid as the fastest speeds known to living beings!

With a smile, Chihiro slowly reached the bottom and hopped off, then watched as Slam Bam joined her.

However, just as Eruptor nearly reached the bottom the slide completely vanished and dropped him into the snow! Eruptor made a pained grunt as he landed headfirst into the snow piles, then sat back up and shook his head.

Chihiro paused and peered up to find the ice ogre platoon had arrived at their former spot, mumbled among each other for mere moments, then left in a stomping fury!

"Phew, that was a close one!" Chihiro exclaimed as she placed her hands on her hips, "Now let's get going! Those parts can't wait on us all day!"—Chihiro looked over to where Eruptor was sinking in the snow and frowned—"C'mon Rupty! You heard what I said, we can't wait around!"

"I can't go," Eruptor replied as he sank further into the melting snow, "I can't get up."

"Now don't say that, Rupty, I'm sure you'll be fine," Chihiro snowshoed over to Eruptor and placed a reassuring hand on his back—only to burn her hand instead.

"No, I literally can't get up," Eruptor said as he watched Chihiro blow on her hand with a tired frown.

To prove his point, he stood up—but the snow was already up to his mouth. When he tried to take a step forward, he ended up collapsing back into the snow and sank into its cold depths once more.

"See what I mean?"

"Yeah, I see where that could be a problem," Chihiro giggled, then clasped her hands together and focused on Eruptor, "Here, let me help you."

Within a few moments, Chihiro had magically lifted Eruptor in the air! However, she lost her focus pretty quickly which caused them both to tumble into the snow and laugh their heads off.

"Geez, Eruptor, you're pretty heavy!" Chihiro giggled as she playfully nudged his shoulder.

Eruptor giggled back and the two stood at last. Chihiro magically picked up Eruptor—or at least tried to—and waddled out of the snow with him close by. She then nudged Eruptor towards Slam Bam, who picked Eruptor up and placed Eruptor on his shoulders.

"That should be a little better," Chihiro said as she smiled and patted Eruptor, "Now, let's get going."

And with that, the three of them looked over their landing spot. It was snowy and snowier for miles on end, just like everything else in this place—but was that a glimmer in the distance?

"Hey, I think I see it—WOAH!" Chihiro took a step forward—but unbeknownst to her, that step was onto a frozen pond of water! With a squeal she went spinning and flailed as she tried to regain her balance.

"HOW DO YOU STOP ON THIS THING?!" Chihiro squealed as she spun from side and side, still flailing the whole time.

Slam Bam just sighed and shook his head as he put Eruptor down, skated onto the ice and slid behind Chihiro.

"You go like this, Chi," Slam Bam said as he held up Chihiro's arms with two of his own.

Chihiro quickly noticed that she had stopped skidding and snapped her fingers. Her magic snowshoes were then converted into magical ice skates and with a smile she beamed up at Slam Bam.

Slam Bam returned her smile, then gracefully guided her into a skating lesson.

"Alright, now lean like this," Slam Bam said as he and Chihiro made a right turn across the pond.

"And run like that," Slam Bam instructed as Chihiro dashed forward on her magic skates.

"And you've got it!" Slam Bam clapped his hands as Chihiro spun in the middle of the pond… Then chuckled as she just stumbled about in a dizzy haze.

"This ice skating stuff is really fun!" Chihiro exclaimed as she zipped from side to side across the pond, then leaped in the air and gracefully landed, "Woo-hoo!"

Eruptor beamed, then waded onto the pond. As soon as his rocky feet landed on the ice and started to skid, he leaned his body forward.

"Okay, go like this…" Eruptor said as he tried to skate forward… But landed on his belly instead.

Eruptor grumbled something to himself as he staggered back up then leaned forward.

"Then lean like—" Eruptor was cut short as he fell on his face and slid across the pond.

With fumes lit and frowns deep, Eruptor stood up… And just fell again.

"Oh come on!"

Eruptor continued to try… and failed… and try… Then fell for what was probably the tenth time. With a couple nasty grumbles, Eruptor stood once again, sat on the pond and pouted. Just then, he heard a cracking sound, and looked under him.

"That can't be good," Eruptor said as he found that his premonition was right—the pond ice's had started to crack, and the cracks in the ice were slowly leaking bone-chilling water!

With panicked gasps he jumped off of that particular chunk while it broke off from the whole, only to hear more cracks. His gasps turned to yells, Eruptor bounced from broken ice plant to plank, before he landed on one situated near a rocky cliff. With heavy pants he looked forward… And found that all the other chunks were too far away for him to jump!

"HELPPPPPPPP!" Eruptor screamed as he frantically backed up, only for something to fall off and hit him on the noggin!

Eruptor made a slightly pained grunt as it landed in front of him, then frowned.

"What's this?…"

§

As Slam Bam and Chihiro ice-skated their way through the rightmost part of the area, Chihiro frowned and looked up at Slam Bam.

"Slam, do you hear something?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head.

Slam paused for a moment and nodded, before he looked at his feet and found large cracks in the ice! Chihiro looked down and saw the very same thing, then looked up and Slam Bam and gulped.

"We'd better get off of here!" Chihiro exclaiemd, her voice trilled just a tiny bit.

"Agreed," Slam Bam said as he grabbed Chihiro's hand.

And with that, the two of them rushed over to snow-covered land, then looked over to see the part they once stood on broken apart in giant chunks. Phew, thank goodness they got out in time! However, scattered among all that ice was a tiny speck of bright warm red, a good bit away from where they were…

"Eruptor!" Chihiro shouted while she waved her hands as high as she could, "Over here!"

Eruptor looked over to them and waved back. Good, he saw them!

"We need to find some way of getting to him." Chihiro placed a hand to her chin, "But how?"

"I think I have an idea," Slam Bam said as he narrowed his eyes and examined the floating icebergs.

"What idea?" Chihiro's curious eyes now focused on Slam Bam as he trained his gaze on the icebergs.

"If I cast my ice sculptures into the water, can you form them into a bridge to him?" Slam Bam looked back towards Chihiro and watched as she eagerly nodded.

"I guess we could give it a shot." Chihiro's eyes now focused on the path as she made a gun with her hand, "Fire away, Slam!"

With a nod, Slam Bam cast blocks of ice into the freezing ocean, then nodded to Chihiro as if to prompt her forwards.

Chihiro breathed in, then stepped forward. Giant ice blocks now bobbed up and down in the subzero waters and glistened against the little sunlight they got, as if they were just waiting for Chihiro to move.

"Now, I'll just move these into place." Chihiro closed her eyes and clasped her hands, "I hope this works…"

Chihiro's heart swelled with magic as her whole body faintly glowed a shade of cyan. She had yet to work with this much material in such an intense situation, but she couldn't lose her focus—her friend was counting on her, and she wasn't going to let him down anytime soon! As she focused her heart, the ice blocks glowed with cyan light that reflected like prisms reflected rainbows, then slowly they floated into place—Chihiro could tell in her heart of hearts. Soon enough she heard the sound of things locking into place, then opened her eyes and made a confident smile.

The ice blocks had all frozen together into one solid ice bridge! She did it!

Chihiro snapped her fingers and watched as her skates turned back to snowshoes, then she gently tapped the first block in the bridge. It seemed solid enough… It could probably hold both her and Eruptor's weight!

"Are you okay over there, Rupty? I'm coming to get you!" Chihiro shouted as she waved to Eruptor.

"I'm here!" Eruptor shouted as he waved over to Chihiro, "Can you make it quick? I don't think this ice is gonna hold out for long!"

Eruptor let out a shout of fear and jumped back as a chunk of his ice floe broke off and drifted away. Yeah, no time to dawdle—Eruptor needed her!

Chihiro breathed in, exhaled then hopped on the first block. After she made sure she had a secure footing, she hopped to the next one, and the one following, then ran across until she reached the other side!

"Come on Eruptor, your ride awaits," Chihiro said as she bowed playfully.

With a giggle, Eruptor trailed behind Chihiro as she hopped back onto the ice block bridge and slowly walked past. As they walked, something that sounded like soft sizzling tickled Chihiro's ears, but she shrugged and continued walking. It all stayed oddly tranquil for a few moments…

Then Eruptor screamed as he fell down with a plunk!

Chihiro bounced into action immediately as she swung over and grabbed his hand, though it was oddly warmer than usual—the sheer heat that emitted from it made her fingers burn, but she refused to let go. With a pained groan and a bite of her lip, Chihiro's hands were engulfed in aqua light—and soon enough, Eruptor was as well.

As he was levitated back onto the bridge, Chihiro looked down and saw that the part he was walking on had completely melted away!

"The heck?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped onto another ice block, "How'd it melt?"

Her eyes then glazed over to Eruptor as she heard a sizzling sound, then looked down to see that the ice was slowly melting under his feet!

"Eruptor!"

"Sorry, nervous heat," Eruptor chuckled as he scratched his head, them jumped to the other side of the block as the first half completely melted away!

With a nod, Chihiro jumped forward, grabbed Eruptor in midair and then landed on the next block.

"Looks like I've gotta make this ride a fast one," Chihiro said as she smiled and snapped her fingers, "And I've got just the thing!"

Chihiro's snowshoes converted themselves to iceskates once more, and with a pump of her legs she was off! Eruptor still held close, she dashed across the ice bridge as the radiating heat caused it to melt away behind them! A smirk stayed pasted on Chihiro's face until she took a slight tumble and looked down to find that the melting process was catching up—and fast! It was already underneath her!

"Looks like we're gonna have to jump it," Chihiro said as she took a mighty stride forward, "Hold on, Rupty!"

With a mighty yell, Chihiro launched herself off the melting bridge and spun in midair before she shot downwards! She closed her eyes, felt the cold wind tickle her face and then landed on something smooth, yet tough—did she make it?

"That was some show, Chi," Slam Bam said as he ruffled Chihiro's hair, "But next time, try not to drop Ruptor into the snow, alright?"

Chihiro opened her eyes to find herself tight in Slam Bam's grasp, and Eruptor face-first in a snow pile. With a soft giggle, she waved her hand and magically lifted a fairly irate Eruptor out of the snow… And now that she got a good look at him, it kinda looked like he was holding something?

"Hey Rupty, what'cha got?" Chihiro asked as she hopped out of Slam Bam's arms and walked up to Eruptor.

"I don't know," Eruptor rumbled as he held the object out, "It just landed on my head when I was trapped on that ice pond—I'm surprised I didn't accidentally burn it, heh."

Chihiro hummed as she examined the object. It looked kinda like a giant, wooden mace with a black steel ball on its tip, carefully fixed onto a giant wood and metal shield—and despite all its splinters and the burns left from being in Eruptor's care, it seemed to be in oddly good condition.

"WA-HOO!"

Everybody jolted in their spots for a few moments, then sighed.

"It's him again," Everybody said in unison as they bore blank expressions.

"That's another part of the catapult foun'!" Haldor proclaimed as he materialized out of thin air and examined the strange object in Eruptor's hot hands, "… At least, I think it is."

With a wave of his staff, Haldor whisked them away from the ice pond and back to where he had set up the catapult's base. As they made their arrival, Haldor tapped the base of his staff against the ground and watched as the catapult's base became visible once more, then waved the staff and watched as the second catapult piece(?) floated out of Eruptor's hands.

"Only one way to know fer sure!" Haldor proclaimed as he zapped the piece and watched as it repaired itself, then whisked it away to the catapult base.

With a satisfying click, it carefully latched itself against the rightmost side of the catapult base.

"We're halfway there, fellas!" Haldor grinned and waved his staff around, which made it shoot off sparks of colorful magic, then turned back to the heroes.

"Now, if my guesses are right, that next piece should be hidin' back'n that old corn maze!" Haldor chuckled and scratched his staff on his back, "Well, it prolly isn't much of a corn maze right now, what with all the snow!"

"And the way there is?…" Chihiro asked as she hid her hands in her parka.

Haldor only pointed his staff towards the ice pond… Then lowered it as he saw its broken form.

"Well, that's a bit of a problem-o," Haldor said as he tugged on his beard, then beamed and lifted up his staff, "Good thing I can just-a teleport ya there! WA-HOO!"

And with a wave of his magic wand, Chihiro, Slam Bam and Eruptor all disappeared and only magic dust remained!

"Good luck, 'n be careful—it's prolly slippery!"

§

"Well, looks like Haldor was right," Chihiro said as she gazed upon the place before her, "It does look slippery."

The trio found themselves underneath the snowy hill, inside a maze that looked to be made entirely of ice and filled with all kinds of gaps. On the other end of the maze was a gate covered in chilly frost and snow powder that hid away something made of wood and metal—it had to be!...

"I'm betting the part we need is on the other side of that gate!" Chihiro said, eyes narrowed as she clutched the collar of her parka.

With a gulp, she gazed at the icy path before her. It was covered in wide holes and what looked to be icy cacti that littered the floor—surely, it wouldn't be very easy or safe to navigate…

"I'll be there the whole way," Slam Bam said, as he placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder, "Don't worry."

Upon hearing him, Chihiro smiled up at him and nodded. Then, with a smirk upon her face, she began skating as fast as she could! She was like a lightning bolt as she slid and sped all across the maze of ice… Wait a second…

"CRAPCRAPCRAPBRAKEBRAKEBRAKE—" Chihiro screamed as she slid to and fro among the maze. Yep, she had forgotten how to stop.

"Chihiro, remember, it's all in the knees!" Slam Bam shouted before he laid down and slid, "…She's gonna need some help."

Eruptor watched Slam Bam slide down the fluffy snow, then shrugged and joined him.

Meanwhile, Chihiro gulped as she saw herself veer straight towards a giant gap in the maze! She wanted to stop, but there was no way—she was going way too fast! And how the heck would she brake on these things anyways?!

Just as she reached the edge and said her prayers, she felt something grab her back and spin her into a pair of tough arms, then looked up to see Slam Bam hold her close!

"Phew, that was a close one!" Chihiro exclaimed as she brushed the sweat from her brow and beamed up at Slam up, "Thanks for that, Slam."

Slam Bam nodded and let go of her waist, then the two of them looked over the maze. Not that there was much to look at—all there was to see was nothing but the ice and snow that was everywhere on this empire of winter, except formed into the pattern of a maze.

"See anything yet?" Chihiro asked as she placed a hand over her eyes and spun around, "Because I sure don't!"

Just then, right as Chihiro looked over the maze for the fifth time, probably, something sparkly caught her eye!

"There!" Chihiro was off like a flash as she ran back across the ice…But of course, the minute she hit the ice she slipped and slid! Chihiro let out another panicked scream until her eyes widened and she promptly braked.

"Remember, all in the knees," Chihiro whispered to herself with a small smile.

With that done, she strode forward and skated across the maze with a smile.

"What do you think she's doing, Slam?" Eruptor asked a smiling Slam Bam as he carefully slid to Slam Bam's side.

"She's skating, that's what!" Slam Bam proclaimed with the pride of a father as he watched Chihiro, "You're doing good, Chihiro! Just take it slow!"

Chihiro grunted and nodded as she cast a gaze at Slam Bam, then looked towards her sparkling target. It was positioned against a wide gap, and while the gap seemed intimidating something in her gut told her—she can make it! With a smile Chihiro pushed herself forward with rapid speed, then leaped forward and pirouetted in midair before she landed on the target! Chihiro beamed and bowed as she heard something that sounded like grinding metal, then looked ahead to find the gate had receded! Her smile widened, Chihiro waved over at Slam Bam and Eruptor.

"Thank you, thank you, please, don't hold your applause!" Chihiro exclaimed as she made a gentlemanly bow.

Eruptor clapped his rotund hands together, though the sound they made was more of a resonating banging noise. Slam Bam chuckled, then made a toothy smile as he clapped along.

Both Eruptor and Slam Bam smiled at each other as Eruptor's rotund hand found sanctuary in Slam Bam's and the two skated across the ice in a slow, tender manner—Eruptor kept close to Slam Bam and smiled in a way that was oddly peaceful for someone like him, while Slam Bam's grip on Eruptor was firm but in a protective, loving manner.

The two of them clung close as they skated in sync, an aura of peace surrounded as they laughed together. With wide smiles, the two of them shot their conjoined hands out as they skated through the maze's icy paths and found themselves just a few feet away from what was surely the next catapult piece they sought.

Her heart bubbly with joy from seeing them so happy, Chihiro jumped across the gap once more and stopped right in front of Slam Bam and Eruptor.

There in front of them was another part that resembled the prior one they had rescued—a wooden mace with a steel spiky ball for a head carefully fastened to a splintered wooden shield. Unlike the prior part it looked as if it had seen better days—the metal was rusted and the wood's splintering was much heavier. But, nevertheless, it was the part they sought.

With nods, Chihiro picked up the piece—and all three of them vanished! All that was left was the thin scratches on the ice left behind by Chihiro's ice skates…

§

Like the past two times, they had returned to where they had laid the first catapult part! Right next to the slowly-rebuilt catapult was Haldor, who was pacing—or rather, floating—in a circle around the catapult until he saw them and beamed.

"Think you can fix this up?" Chihiro asked as she handed off the part to Haldor while her brown eyes darted in all directions. She couldn't sworn she heard something strange…

"Is Kaos a monkey's uncle?" Haldor chortled as he took the part away from Chihiro and examined it.

Haldor waved around his staff and, in mere moments, restored the part back to its former state! Its splintering was completely cured while the rust was cleaned off—all that was left was pristine wood and shiny metal.

"Now, to add these things to the catapult!" Chihiro's eyes shone as she snagged the piece and bounced over to the catapult.

With a grunt Chihiro tried to fit the piece onto the catapult… But it wasn't exactly working out for her, because no matter how many times she clanged them against the wheels of the catapult it just wouldn't fit!

"I think I'll handle that thing, missy." Haldor floated over to Chihiro and zapped the piece in her hands!

The piece floated upwards as it was surrounded by a glow of green, then magically resized itself and attaching itself to the leftmost side of the base! Now, it formed the almost-complete catapult—all it just needed was the actual catapult.

All of them gazed in pride, but not for long—there was work to be done, and now that they were nearly done it was like a burst of energy warmer than any fire had overtaken them!

"So, Haldor, where's the last part?" Chihiro turned to Haldor and tilted her head.

Haldor gulped and pointed his staff over to the next part of the island, which was barricaded off by a wall of barbed wire and splintered wood.

"It's over there." Haldor's voice warbled as he spoke, "But, I wouldn' be moseyin' on over there, if I were you."

"Why not? I could just blow up the barricade." Chihiro frowned as Haldor shook his bearded head.

"No, that's not what I'm worryin' 'bout, it's, well…"

Haldor then created a small fly out of purple magic and sent it flying over the barrier, which it easily passed. However, as soon as it passed the barricade, an unholy screech was heard as a giant bomb fell from the sky and grounded the fly in the blink of an eye! Haldor then gulped again and turned back to Chihiro.

"I see your point." Chihiro gained a smile and shrugged, "But, as long as we avoid them, I'm sure we won't have a problem, right guys?"

Chihiro turned to Slam Bam and Eruptor for support, but they were absolutely silent. Instead, they had turned their attention over the cliffside with quiet, twitchy frowns!

"Sheesh, what's their problem?" Chihiro asked herself before she turned back to Haldor, "Now, how do we get this barricade down?"

Chihiro's eyes trailed off to her side, where she saw something buried almost to its tip in snow—and her curiosity took over from there! Chihiro scrambled over, then grabbed the object and dusted off the fresh powder—to reveal that, underneath all that snow, there was a gray-black bomb with an unlit wicker fuse!

"Looks like I found our solution, boys!" Chihiro smiled as she rushed to Eruptor's side… Then placed the bomb to her side.

"What're you guys staring at?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head, "All I see is snow."

After all, the snowstorm was starting to get a little worse now—even this area that was surprisingly light at first was now getting bombarded by icy-cold, fresh snow. But now that she thought about it, she also heard something that sounded like… Marching? Why would there be marching? The only others here were those ice ogres, but she hadn't seen hide nor hair of them since their close call a while earlier…

Slam Bam's hands balled into fists as a scowl crossed his face.

"There you are, Skylanders!" Called a familiar voice from across the cold tempests!

Right as the voice reached their ears, an army of what seemed to be around a hundred… No, a few hundred ice ogres marched up the platform—and they were closing in fast! They all bore weapons off all kinds, and at the head of the charge was none other than Noodles, with a deep scowl on his face and teeth bared.

"You Skylanders thought you could make a fool out of Noodles, didn't you?" Noodles shouted, his goofy-sounding voice now intimidating as it beat out the winds, "Well, Noodles has other ideas! Noodles and his __entire __ice ogre army is going to beat you down good! Then we're gonna take you in to Lord Kaos! And __then __you'll be sorry!"

"I should've known something was up when all those ogres disappeared," Slam Bam growled as he turned to the others, "They're closing in too fast, there's no way we can get out of here in time!"—Slam Bam cracked his knuckles and glared—"Looks like we're gonna have to fight!"

Eruptor's stomach growled from what Chihiro could only guess was fear, but Haldor seemed oddly serious—his staff was clasped tight, and though his wrinkled hands trembled while sweat dripped from his brow, he clearly wasn't going to give up on standing his ground.

"What about that last catapult piece?" Chihiro asked as her grip around the bomb tightened… Then she looked down at it and hummed… Wait a second…

"Actually, I have an idea!" Chihiro nudged Slam Bam's shoulder and looked up at him with raw fire, "Can you guys hold them off? I'm going in myself!"

"Chihiro, that's dangerous!" Slam Bam protested, his teeth bared in a way that seemed warning in nature.

"And this isn't?" Chihiro held up the bomb as her eyebrows furrowed, "If we don't get that catapult piece, that army'll wipe us out completely—and who knows what they'll do next! Everything's counting on that catapult—we've gotta finish it!"

Slam Bam's jaw dropped agape for a moment, as if he was shocked by the sudden shift to seriousness in Chihiro's words, then it closed as he made a firm nod.

"Be careful, then."

Chihiro nodded, then lit the bomb's fuse with a stroke from Eruptor's hand. After a spin of her arm, Chihiro tossed the bomb with a perfect pitch and watched proudly as it splintered the barricade into pieces.

"Now, to finish this up." Chihiro darted inside, then looked back once last time as the sounds of shouting and stomping drew closer, "You too, guys. Stay safe."

Chihiro's heart pounded as she walked inside the area, but it seemed oddly tranquil—tranquil enough to let her heart rest anyways.

The whole area was covered in crates and barbed-wire fences and other warlike decorations, but other than Chihiro nobody was there. There was just falling snow and icy breezes.

"All the others must have gone off to fight the guys," Chihiro remarked as she smiled and tugged on her parka, "This'll be a piece of cake!"

Just then, Chihiro felt a soft glow and looked down to see a red light reflect on the icy paths, followed by… A screech?

Oh no.

Chihiro gasped as she skated away, then tripped and slid just out the range of an explosion! When she staggered up and looked back, she saw thick, black smoke and fumes rise up from a crater that covered the area she once stood at, a clear sign of war—and occupation. Chihiro panted and held her rapidly-beating heart—that was a close one! Just then she heard another screech and skated away just before another bomb dropped. Her head was spinning as she skated as fast as possible, while bombs all lined up and blew up her path.

"Where are all these coming from?!" Chihiro exclaimed between pants when she leaned just a bit too forward and rolled down the icy pathways.

When she finally came to a stop, Chihiro winced and sat back up. Her foot radiated with pain—intense pain, like she had twisted something. She tried to stand, but the pain and the imbalance it brought was so great that she could only fall on her bottom again. Cold tears of pain fell onto her cheeks and froze where they sat, but Chihiro wiped them away—now wasn't the time to cry. As she sat and rubbed her foot, all was quiet… Until she heard…

Screeching. Like the screeching of a bomb…

With a gasp, Chihiro looked over and saw a cave a good bit up from the warzone! With tight gasps she tried to crawl to it, but the ice was so slippery that she kept sliding away! Her gasps turned frantic as she crawled further and further, the screeching now so loud it rang in her ears…

Then she looked up, and saw a giant gray metal bomb, just seconds away from impact! With a gasp, Chihiro closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle…

… Then opened them to find herself in the cool shelter of a rocky, snow-filled cavern. Chihiro heaved a sigh of relief as she laid her pained leg onto the snow and smiled as the chill killed the pain just a little.

"Thank goodness—I was afraid that teleporting spell wouldn't work!" Chihiro remarked as she rubbed her leg some more, then paused and looked out at the warzone from the cave's safety.

It was far up enough that her assailants couldn't find her, yet she still had a bird's eyes view of the battlefield below her. It was covered in ashy gray craters dusted with frosty snow, and smoky fumes rose up to the heavens and nearly made Chihiro want to cough. However, without the bombs being dropped it went back to the state of tranquility she had felt when she first got there.

"Maybe from here I can figure out what's dropping all this stuff…" Chihiro remarked as she poked her head outside of the cave and peeked down.

Near the mouth of the warzone, the place that all the various paths lead to were several stone towers! They seemed awfully sturdy for stone, and inside them were several large blobs colored… White? Gray? Off-green?

Whatever color they were, surely they were the ones dropping all these bombs!

"There's my targets," Chihiro remarked as she balled her hand into a fist, "Now, time to give them a taste of their own medicine!"

With a smirk, Chihiro snapped her fingers and watched as her skates turned to a snowboard! Chihiro's smirk widened as she slowly slid down… Then she hit the hill and sped down!

Her eyes widened with sheer glee as she slid down, then her eyes glared over a ramp and glistened. She shifted a bit leftwards, drew closer to the ramp and closed her eyes and held out a hand that glowed with cyan magic.

"Now…" Chihiro spun her hand in a circle, which created a ball of cyan magic that crackled with cold, then flipped upside-down and spun around her board.

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!"

As soon as the board made contact with the magic ball, the ball split into several smaller pellets that shot everywhere! Cyan-colored mini-explosions erupted all across the warfield as Chihiro flipped back up and landed on her feet, and cleared with cyan fog so pale in color it was almost white.

Chihiro brushed off her hands, then snapped her fingers and turned her snowboard into regular snowshoes. With another snap she popped up to the balcony of one stone tower, latched onto it and pulled herself up.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Chihiro sneered as she looked its other inhabitant in the eyes.

Sure enough, it was a bulky ice ogre dressed in blue camouflage, its pupils tiny and its massive jaw gaped. It was completely stiff and frozen—literally this time, as its whole body was coated in a cyan glow that kept it stopped tight in this spot.

"Now, if you don't mind, officer." Chihiro walked past the officer with a sneer and went inside the tower, "I'd like to take a little peek at your weaponry~"

Inside the cold, barely-lit tower was a giant pile of metal, heavy bombs, and next to them—a catapult made entirely of steel save for its arm, which was solid wood.

"Wait a second…" Chihiro walked over to the arm and peered inside, to see that it was plugged into the steel!

With a frown she yanked out the arm with all her strength… Then promptly fell on the floor from the sheer weight.

"Something tells me I found the last thing our catapult needs!"

Chihiro closed her eyes and vanished in a cyan glow, the arm in tow.

§

Slam Bam grunted as he tossed out block after block of ice at the swarm of ice ogre soldiers, but it was of little use! It seemed that with every ogre soldier he froze, or punched, or knocked away, at least five more took its place! Just how many of them were there, anyways?

For that matter, his companions weren't doing so hot, either—the lava blobs that Eruptor lobbed grew less frequent as he panted and shivered, clearly worn down by the cold at last, and Haldor was panting heavily as he shot beam after beam of magic.

"Give up yet, Skylanders?" Noodles jeered from the crowd, his arms crossed.

"Never!" Slam Bam growled back as he punched away four more ice ogre soldiers, "Skylanders never give up!"

"O ho ho!" Noodles cackled as he crossed his arms, "You say that now, but look at you! You all look so tired!"

Eruptor then groaned and stumbled backwards before he fell over! Thankfully Slam Bam was quick to catch Eruptor and hold him tight—but something wasn't right! Eruptor's body was so dull, so hard, almost as if he was freezing up! With a bite of his lip Slam Bam looked down at Eruptor and…

"Ruptor, your light, it's fading!" Slam shouted as he held Eruptor even closer.

"It's so cold, Slam," Eruptor whimpered as he shuddered and slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again as Slam Bam cuddled him close.

"Hang in there, Ruptor, Chihiro's gonna be here any minute now." Slam Bam gulped as he looked to the skies and saw something glow against the cold, gray skies, "Wait, could that be…"

Slam's eyes then widened in surprise as Chihiro popped out of thin air, while a giant wooden catapult arm floated behind her.

"Am I late?" Chihiro asked as she hovered in midair.

"CHIHIRO!" Slam Bam called with a twinkle in his eyes.

Haldor turned around in shock, then broke out into a wide smile as he saw Chihiro hover in midair.

"Oh, you ogres are in fer it now!" Haldor proclaimed as he zapped the arm with his wand, then watched as the arm attached itself to the catapult.

With a maybe too eager grin Haldor zoomed up to the catapult and watched as the army of ice ogres slowly backed away.

"Ya should be scared, ya little snowmongerers!" Haldor exclaimed as he tapped the catapult arm's seat with his taste, "Now, why don'tcha have a taste of yer own medicine fer a chance?"

As Haldor removed his staff, a giant snowball magically appeared in the seat! Then, with a sharp, screeching whistle the giant snowball soared across the blizzarding skies at rapid speeds and landed straight in the middle of the ice ogre army!

The army screamed in unified panic as it tried to escape, but Haldor wasn't going to stop—he continued to shoot off giant snowballs and squash their troops underneath!

"Uh, uh, well," Noodles sputtered as he frantically looked in fifty million directions, "NOODLES FORGOT TO TURN OFF NOODLES' OVEN, NOODLES SHOULD REALLY BE—"

Noodles never even got the chance to run—he was immediately trapped under the weight of an ice-cold giant snowball.

Chihiro beamed and laughed as she watched the ogres that once intimidated them flee, but her smile quickly faded as she looked at Eruptor. He looked so cold and sad as he shuddered in the blizzard—he could really use a blanket or two.

With a bite of her lip, Chihiro took off her parka and gently wrapped it around him, then patted his head and watched as a fluffy hat made of magic appeared over it.

"Hey, Eruptor, feeling any better?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head, her voice surprisingly gentle and parental in tone.

Eruptor's shudders were the only answer Chihiro received, which only served to worry her more. So, Chihiro hugged him as tight as she could.

"Hang in there, Rupty, it's almost over. We've got the catapult finished, and now we're gonna break this wall down. Then, it'll be as sunny as Ancient Peak's is during summer!" Chihiro barely saw Eruptor smile a slight, toothy grin and she smiled back at him before she turned back to Haldor.

"So, Haldor, what kind of ammunition does this thing need?"

"Well, this wall here's made'a magic ice…" Haldor said as he stroked his beard in contemplation before he turned to Chihiro with a twinkle in his eye, "And d'ya know what we use to melt magic ice?"

"What?" Chihiro's voice turned to an excited level of shrillness as her eyes sparkled.

"MAGIC FIREBALLS!"

With an excited cackle and another wave of his staff, Haldor watched in glee as a giant, crackling fireball that radiated with magic manifested inside the catapult, then clapped his hands!

The catapult shot the fireball at the wall in an instant and created a giant hole in the wall where blue skies shone through!

"My turn, my turn!" Chihrio shouted as she ran up to the catapult and placed her hands on its base.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then heard a whoosh and looked up to see that another giant fireball sat in the arm! With a sharp gasp, Chihiro bounced up and down, then snapped her fingers and watched as it was launched at the ice wall.

What was just two fireballs soon became three… Five… Ten… Well, after a while they all lost count, but it didn't matter—because the ice wall had broken!

They all watched in glee as warmth crept into the cold winter snow, then they were all encapsulated by a light so bright it absorbed everything…

§

When everybody opened their eyes, the first thing they felt was warmth.

The snow that once pounded down Vindlevale had cleared magnificently, and all that could be seen was rich green grass that tickled the toes and colorful flowers of just about every species. Birds chirped and warm breezes blew throughout the crystal clear blue skies. The comforting warmth a nice, soft bed after a long, hard day of work that embraced everyone with the words Chihiro soon spoke.

"We did it…" Chihiro whispered, completely awestruck for moments before she jumped in the air, "WE DID IT!"

"W-what did we do?" Eruptor mumbled as he sat up and rubbed his head, "I think I fell asleep!"

Chihiro turned around, then beamed as she looked at Eruptor. His light burned bright as ever, and he looked so warm and cuddly—she couldn't help but run up to him and hug him.

"We saved Vindlevale, Rupty!" Chihiro proclaimed with all manner of glee in her voice.

Chihiro made a soft chirp as she felt something lift her and Eruptor into a giant bear hug, then beamed up at a smiling Slam Bam.

"Say, I'm feelin' better already, seein' all this ice clear up!" Haldor proclaimed as he stretched his arms to the summery skies then beamed wide, "Oh, you guys know what? I bet the swimmin' hole's warmin' up too! I'm gonna get my swimmin' trunks!"

Everybody else cringed as Haldor disappeared presumably to wherever he laid his swimming trunks, then sighed.

Chihiro then jumped out of Slam Bam's arms and looked up at them.

"We've still got one thing we need to do, though," Chihiro said, "We need to save Spyro and Gill, come on!"

It took a look of running, though Chihiro didn't entirely mind—running in the warmth of spring was so nice! SHe needed to do it more often!... But soon she felt a chill rush through her, saw something glassy and stopped.

"Looks like I found them," Chihiro said as she glazed at a giant ice block in front of her.

There, trapped within its giant, icy casings was Spyro and Gill Grunt, flopped on top of each other and completely unconscious. Slam Bam was right—they were frozen solid, probably while they were looking for her!

__Don't worry guys, I'm here now! __Chihiro thought to herself as she shook her head and glazed down the ice block, then gently brushed her hand against it. It was cold to the touch, but she wasn't deterred.

"Found 'em?" Slam Bam asked as he and Eruptor walked next to Chihiro.

"Slam, do you have any idea how we can get them out of this ice?" Chihiro asked, her eyes not taken off the ice block and a determined frown on her face.

Slam Bam cracked his knuckles and glared down the ice block with an expression that made it look like he was about to punch something.

"We crack it, of course!" Slam Bam exclaimed.

With punches faster than bullets, Slam Bam chipped away at the ice four punches at a time!

With a nod, Chihiro closed her eyes, then opened them and watched as a chisel and heavy mallet made of magic energy manifested within her hands! Not one to waste time, Chihiro placed the chisel onto the ice and smashed down the mallet! Her determined frown turned to a smile as she watched cracks appear in the ice, but only for a moment as she bounced around the block and cracked it some more!

Even Eruptor contributed as he rested his warm hands against the ice and slowly melted it down.

The cracks multiplied and spread across the ice as they worked until the ice block finally made a large cracking noise and shattered completely! As the ice block's fragments fell to the grass, Spyro and Gill's unconscious bodies fell into the arms of Chihiro and Slam Bam respectively.

Chihiro bit her lip as she ran her hand over Spyro's body. It was so cold… Had she gotten to him too late? Was he… Dead? With a small shudder she looked over at Slam Bam, who gave a similarly-concerned gaze to Gill Grunt, then heard a soft groan and looked down at Spyro.

"Ugh, Chihiro…" Spyro groaned as he lifted his head just slightly and slowly opened his eyes.

"SPYRO!" Chihiro croaked as she hugged him tight while tears of joy fell down her face, "I was so worried…"—Chihiro sniffled for a few moments, then gently snuggled Spyro a little more—"Everything's okay now, don't worry."

Meanwhile, Slam Bam was attending to a still-sleeping Gill Grunt, who refuse to wake no matter how many times Slam Bam nudged him.

"Is he gonna wake up?" Eruptor asked as he walked up to Slam Bam and gently nudged Gill Grunt's head.

"YOWCH!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he jolted up and rubbed his head then groaned, "Ugh, I had this dream that we were all at this place that was in a nasty blizzard, and—"

"Uh, Gill, you weren't dreaming," Spyro said as he jolted his head up, "Wait, is it—"

"Don't worry, we all managed to save the place!" Chihiro smiled and laid Spyro down on the grass, "Look!"

Slam Bam gently dropped Gill Grunt to the ground, and all of them paused to take in the beauty of the surroundings. It was so warm, so peaceful, so full of life… And they all worked so hard to save it and make it this way. Just watching it all felt so peaceful and rewarding and undisturbed until…

"AH-CHOO!"

… Spyro sneezed out fire, then sniffled and rubbed his snout only to sneeze again.

"Looks like being in that ice block for so long gave you a cold!" Chihiro remarked as she rubbed a hand against Spyro's scaly forehead.

"I'm perfectly fine, Chihiro, I," Spyro said before he sneezed again, "Ah-choo!"

"Ah-choo!" Gill Grunt sneezed from across the way, then sniffled a couple more times and rubbed his eyes.

Chihiro only giggled and gently grabbed Spyro's paw.

"Come on guys, look like you two need to pay a visit to the infirmary!"

§__Meanwhile, somewhere far, far away...__§

Hidden deep within Kaos's flying fortress was a laboratory. It wasn't like most laboratories, no—it lacked the gadgets and gizmos most laboratories had, and only had extensive amounts of test tubes that all shone in dark colors. And within these tubes?

Minions. Evil minions. Evil __Skylander __minions. Perfect equals to the Skylanders in their power, their abilities, their capabilities… By all accounts, they should have completely succeeded!

"And yet," Kaos proclaimed as he glared over two dark blue-colored tubes and a burgundy-colored one sandwiched between, each of which had a dully-colored shining core safely trapped within, "You foolish fools still completely bungled your assignment!"

With a growl, Kaos pounded his fist on a dark blue tube and glared at his reflection in its plastic surface. His evil teeth were bared, his evil eyebrows were furrowed, and his whole face reflected an angered expression of absolute evil and doom!

"You incompetents probably meandered about and showed off, and look what good it did you!" Kaos snapped his fingers and showed a reflection of the island, which depicted the Skylanders laughing among each other, "The Skylanders completely beat you like the losers you are and saved that island I conquered!"

Kaos gritted his teeth and balled his fist. Sometimes he didn't even know why he created them, the utterly incompetent losers he didn't even pride enough to call his minions…

Just then, a bright flash of red light emitted complete with the sound of whirring and many different beeps—all in a tone so shrill and high-pitched it made Kaos's evil genius ears ache!

"I'M COMING! SHUT UP!" Kaos shouted at the portal as he trudged away—but not before he shot one last glare at the test tube collection.

"You'd best be more competent the next time you reform."

And with that, Kaos returned to his portal room to find that his portal glowed a magnificently malevolent red. With a couple claps of his hands, he watched as the portal shone with blood red lights while a figure emerged from its surface.

"Yes, Evil Water Dragon! Has the Eternal Water Source been secured?" Kaos gave the minion before him an expectant gaze.

This creature, in terms of body shape, was some cross between draconic and aquatic, with a slender body covered in fins and supported by almost amphibian legs. Its whole body was filled with nothing but darkness, with the occasional speck of blue Water Magic.

"Does this answer your question?" the Evil Water Dragon asked, its voice like someone gargling with water.

The Evil Water Dragon then nudged something out from his back—a glowing, blue oval of light with water sloshing all around inside it. The power of the Water Element radiated heavily from it—just looking at it made Kaos feel soaked to his toes.

And he __loved __it.

"Yes, it does!" Kaos clapped his hands and made a very evil grin if he said so himself, Finally, one of my minions actually does something RIGHT for once!

"All this praise is nice and all." the Evil Water Dragon's tone turned serious, "But shouldn't we work on relocating the source so the Skylanders and the portal master can't get it?"

"I'm working on that! I just wanted to bask in the evil moment." Kaos crossed his arms and huffed, then reached out towards the Eternal Water Source, "Now, come to papa!"

However, as soon as Kaos reached out to touch the source, a raincloud brewed over Kaos's head and caused a torrent of rain to completely drench him!

"On second thought, Evil Water Dragon, you get the honor of containing the source. I need to dry off."

And with a series of grumbles, the very soaked evil mastermind that was Kaos trudged out of the portal room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eighth chapter incoming!**

**I don't have much commentary for this chapter aside for a slight content warning: This chapter depicts a character having a flashback to a traumatic event as well as wide-scale destruction of a city via man-made disasters. If either of these subjects are uncomfortable for you, feel free to sit this one out, or DM me for a summary of what happens! Anyways, onto the chapter!**

* * *

Chihiro gave Spyro a sympathetic stare as she gazed at him from the wooden stool she sat on. After the events of yesterday, he and Gill Grunt had been bedridden with nasty colds gained from being stuck in a block of solid ice for several hours—much to Spyro's disdain.

"Gotta, get, back," Spyro moaned as he tried to nudge himself out of bed before he broke out into a coughing fit.

"Spyro, chill! We'll worry about Kaos, you just focus on getting better," Chihiro said as she got off the stool and pushed Spyro back into bed.

"But Skylands—" Spyro grunted as he fell back into bed and was draped in a soft blanket.

"Has plenty of other people protecting it." Chihiro tucked Spyro back into bed and placed her hands on her hip, "And besides, you can't really do anything when you're as sick as you are, you can barely even get out of bed!"

"But I can't just sit around when Kaos isn't! Every second I sit here, he's out there, conquering Skylands!" Spyro's voice was hoarse from the cold, but it still showed a great deal of concern, "Besides, are you sure—"

Spyro was promptly stopped by the tenth hacking fit he had entered that week.

"We'll be fine, Spyro." Chihiro then sighed and rubbed a hand over his forehead, "If you wanna do anything to help us, then focus on getting better."

Spyro didn't retort this time—he had entered a sneezing fit instead.

Chihiro silently grabbed a box of tissues and offered it to him. Then with a frown she watched as he grabbed a tissue, sneezed fire into it and burnt the poor tissue to a crisp. After all was said and done, she wiped the ashes off of the bed and sighed.

"Just get some rest, okay? Portal master's orders." Chihiro's gaze narrowed and then softened, "I gotta leave in a little bit to change out patrols, but before that, do you need anything else?"

"A cold compress would be nice—these sinus headaches are killing me." Spyro moaned before he turned on his side.

"I could use one too…" Gill Grunt moaned from the other bed as he rubbed his forehead.

"Duly noted," Chihiro said as she stood up and carefully stepped out of the room, though she was sure to leave the door open just a crack for when she returned.

She then slowly walked down the stark tile floor of the hallway while her eyes glazed over seemingly identical rows of wooden doors. She couldn't help but feel her heartstrings tug as she toyed with her zipper—after all, Spyro felt so awful that he had to rest and not attend to his duties because he was sick…

_But he wouldn't have gotten sick in the first place if I had gotten to him earlier, _Chihiro thought as she sucked on her lower lip, _After all—_

Before her brain could jump to its next wildest conclusion, Chihiro caught sight of one particular door and stopped right in her tracks.

The door was wood, like just about everything there. But unlike the door that preceded it, it lacked a doorknob and had a circular window installed in it so that you could peer into the room. Yes, this was the kitchen door she had been searching for!

Chihiro pushed the door open to find herself in a kitchen with tile floors and wooden walls. Lined against the leftmost wall were several stoves, each one identical in shape and inactive, while lined against the right were a large steel freezer and refrigerator that were undoubtedly filled to their brims with food and medicines that needed to be chilled. And at the very back was a simple sink made of steel placed over a wooden cupboard.

With a smile on her face, Chihiro walked in front of the sink, knelt down and opened a wooden cabinet located at the bottom of the sink. Inside the cupboard were all sorts of minor medicinal supplies, from first aid kits and boxes of bandages to the compresses she was looking for!

Chihiro then grabbed two empty compresses out of the cupboard and closed it shut before she made her way to the freezer. When she arrived, she opened the freezer door, scanned its inner contents, and magically lifted out a large bag of ice. Once the ice bag was safely on the floor, she placed the compresses to the side and opened it with both hands.

Of course, it was cold to the touch—which Chihiro quickly learned as she stopped in her tracks and jittered. With a sigh, she magically opened the bag up, grabbed both compresses one by one, unscrewed their caps and filled them both with ice.

"Yep, nice and cold," Chihiro whispered as she felt the cool fabric of the compress then capped them back up, "Hopefully this'll help them out, even just a little."

With her job finished, Chihiro gently pushed the kitchen door back open and made her way back to where Spyro and Gill Grunt were resting. Her walk was brisk as she trainer her eyes on the tile floors, her mind so lost in thought…

_If I had just been a little faster, they wouldn't have gotten sick, _Chihiro thought as she squeezed the compresses' caps tight, _It's all my fault they feel so awful! I've gotta make sure they get bet—_

CRASH!

Chihiro let out a shout of pain as she crashed into someone and fell on the floor!

"Hey, Chihiro, are you okay?"

Chihiro immediately recognized the voice, then looked up and found Whirlwind staring back at her.

"Sorry for running into you like that," Whirlwind apologized as she offered Chihiro her paw, "Here, let me help you up."

Chihiro accepted Whirlwind's apology with a nod, then took Whirlwind's paw and heaved herself up. With sigh, she looked down at the cold compresses in her hand—yup, still intact, thankfully. It would've been a pain to fill them up again.

"Let me guess—for Spyro and Gill?" Whirlwind asked as her eyes glazed over the cold compresses in Chihiro's hand.

"You guessed it," Chihiro said with a nod before she looked at Whirlwind and added, "Anyways, what are you doing here? Are you checking on them too?"

"Actually, I came here to find you," Whirlwind replied, "Hugo's orders. He needs you to send out the next batch of patrols."

"I know, I was getting to that," Chihiro cast an aside glance, "I just needed to get these for Spyro and Gill first."

Whirlwind then frowned as she watched Chihiro slump her shoulders.

"Chihiro, you've been worrying about them all the time! It seems like whenever you're not doing portals you're here with them."

"I know, I know, it's just, well," Chihiro mumbled as she turned away from Whirlwind, "If I hadn't run off and gotten lost, they wouldn't have gotten sick like this, and—"

Whirlwind sighed and flew up to Chihiro until they were at eye level.

"Chihiro, you can't keep blaming yourself." Whirlwind gently tapped Chihiro's nose with her claw, "You weren't the one who put them there, did you?"

"Well, no, but it still might not have happened if I was there!" Chihiro exclaimed before she bit her lip and tried to push past Whirlwind, "I'm sorry, I really need to—"

"Chihiro, you've spent more than enough time taking care of them." Whirlwind flew back in front of Chihiro and placed a paw on Chihiro's shoulder, "How about I handle things for a change?"

"But—" Chihiro jolted and turned away.

"No buts." Whirlwind gave Chihiro a look that seemed like she was insisting for her to get some fresh air, "With my healing powers, I'm sure I can get them back on their feet in no time. And besides, you need a break—why don't you run back down to the beach after you're done with patrols?"—Whirlwind then made a soft wink—"Some fresh air might do you some good."

"Sheesh, I'm going," Chihiro teased, though at this time it seemed almost weak, "Oh, and by the way, give these to Spyro and Gill,"—Chihiro handed off the compresses to Whirlwind—"For sinus headaches."

And with that, Chihiro hung her head low and made her way out of the infirmary…

§

After a few minutes, Chihiro had changed out patrols, written down reports and handed them over to Hugo—it was routine for her at this point, so it hardly took more than a half-hour. Even though Whirlwind had suggested that fresh air would help…

It wasn't really doing her any good—she still felt awful. Now, she was pacing around the heart of the island, her head hung low the entire time.

_I shouldn't be slacking off here, _Chihiro thought as she sucked on her lip, _I should be back there, helping them! It's the least I could do after everything that happened to them because of me…_

"I guess I'll go down to the beach," Chihiro said as she tugged on her sleeve, "Maybe if I soak up some rays I can get my mind off of things."

And with that, Chihiro took her walk across the ruins, her eyes on her feet as she trailed across the center of the island until she reached the spiraling staircase that lead to the beach.

_I'm such an idiot, _Chihiro thought, _I should have stuck with them, and now they're sick, and I nearly screwed up my first real big mission, and—oh, what's the use! I've gone over this in my head like, fifty times now. _

Chihiro ran her hand against the wooden railway, then heaved a sigh and quietly walked down the runway. As she walked, the torches equipped to the staircase lit up with prismatic white fire that slowly reflected each color in the Skylandian rainbow—first a dusty, sunset orange, next a chromatic purple, after that a bright blue, then a fiery red, a rich brown, a pale silver, a lush green, and finally a pale, sky blue. Her eyes flickered over the torches for mere moments, before she slouched over and focused on the ground below her as she walked down the steps.

_If Hugo was here, I bet he'd launch himself into this whole speech about how magical these torches are, _Chihiro thought with a chuckle, the single laugh she had let out insofar that day, _Good thing he isn't, I don't feel like listening to lectures. __Why do I have to get so antsy about everything? I mean, it's not like the whole world's gonna cave in if I fail_. _Oh wait, it is! Cause I'm the super important portal master and—_

When she looked up, Chihiro realized that she was at the beach at last.

"I really need to stop getting lost in my thoughts." Chihiro said before she took in the sounds and sights of the beach.

Those sounds were really nothing except for the crashing of waves against the docks and crunch of sand beneath her feet. It looked and felt not at all that different from when she visited it a few days prior, aside from the resident chill from that strange ice palace that popped by the ocean that day—or maybe that was just her imagination?

_I still can't believe I got to go on my first real mission. _Chihiro made a soft smile as she toyed with her jacket's zipper, her mind simmered in memories of that fateful day, _It almost feels like it was just yesterday. Stopping those ice ogres, saving Vindlevale, learning how to ice skate…_

With a smile, Chihiro walked forward and slowly imitated the form of a figure skater as she strode back and fro across the beach's sands. As she did, however, she felt a slight sense of dread cover her mind and gently laid her arms back at her side, then bit her lip as she watched her reflection in the waves.

_And Spyro and Gill getting sick._

Her mind turned numb as she mindlessly stared at her reflection in the water, little mind paid to the waters as they cascaded over her boots, the crunch of the sand underneath her feet and the faint sound of… Screaming? Wait, hold on—why was there screaming?

Chihiro's curiosity piqued as she listened in, noted that it seemed to be coming from the beach's east end and hurried off to that direction almost immediately.

"Uh, just so you know, if you're going to eat me, I'm really salty and kinda high in cholesterol—"

"If you are going eat me, you should know I salty too!"

"Oh great, someone please, get me out of here!"

Chihiro tilted her head as she poked it around the corner. Those voices weren't like any she had recognize! She then turned around and walked closer to their source…

Which was a gillperson trapped in a cell with rusted red bars! They reminded Chihiro a bit of Gill Grunt in appearance, except they lacked fangs on their lower jaw, their scales were seafoam green in color, and they wore bright orange rubber overalls and a matching rubber shirt. Their fins were clasped tight onto the bars of their cage, and the sheer amount of shaking they did betrayed their fear.

"Summon Getty underwear! He he!" squeaked something with a high-pitched voice as the gillperson banged their head against their cage's bars.

Chihiro's vision then focused in on the top of the cell, where stationed in a giant, golden metal puzzle was a curious little bright green ball of fluff with pink eyes that were varying in size and yellow duck flippers that lacked any form of webbing.

With a sigh, Chihiro walked over to the cage and looked up at the puzzle.

"Hello?" The gillperson gurgled, their voice like someone gargling saltwater, "Have you come to rescue me?"—The gillperson frowned at Chihiro's lack of response—"Please say yes, this thing's driving me upstream!"

Chihiro made a soft hum, then grasped the puzzle in her hands and shook it vigorously! It was quite easy—the puzzle was surprisingly light for something that looked so bulky. As she did this, the gremlin creature popped inside the puzzle's lock and hollered as she shook the puzzle around! Then within a couple of minutes, Chihiro heard something that sounded akin to a click!

Right then and there, the weird gremlin creature disappeared and the puzzle fell off the cage!… And right onto Chihiro's foot.

Chihiro let out a loud yowl as the pain seared through her entire body, then watched as the puzzle disappeared.

"Ugh, my foot…" Chihiro moaned and knelt down to massage her throbbing foot.

Meanwhile, the strange gillperson carefully nudged the rusted iron bars of the cage they was in and they flung open!

Of course, though, they ended up in Chihiro's face and caused her to be flung back in the sand with another scream of pain.

"Heh, sorry 'bout that," The gillperson giggled as they rubbed the back of their slimy head—surely they would be blushing in embarrassment if gillpeople were capable of such an action.

"No need, I'm, fine, fine," Chihiro moaned as she stumbled up and tried to repress the giant red mark on her face that she gained in the collision, "Just who are you, anyways?"

Before either party could speak again, Chihiro then heard the sound of panting, and turned around to find someone—or rather, _some people_—as they ran to her in the distance!

"Hugo!" Chihiro shouted as she blinked, "And…"—Chihiro held her hand over her now-narrowed eyes—"Wham and Zap?"

Hugo ran as fast as his stubby legs could take him before he panted and plopped down on the warm sands, only for him to be pulled up by another figure—a red and gold crustacean with piercing blue eyes, a mouth full of sharp pearly whites that was dipped to a frown and equally-sharp white claws that clasped a golden, spiky mace.

After he stood, he sat and caught his breath only to be nudged by a blue water dragon with green fins that trailed all the way down their body, wide orange eyes and amphibian legs who wore a yellow vest and broke into a coughing fit. Once he had regained his breath, Hugo looked up at Chihiro with fear dilated in his brown eyes.

"Chihiro, I heard some strange sounds coming down from here, is something wrong?" Hugo asked, his speech so fast you'd be forgiven if you thought he was in serious danger.

"Just the fact that some strange fish guy is on the beach and locked in a cell that's guarded by some weird imp dude," Chihiro said then turned to her side and pointed to the gillperson she had just rescued, who sheepishly waved at Hugo.

"Er, hi there," they said as they smiled weakly and clutched their fins.

"Oh, you must be talking about the beach confinement system!" Hugo exclaimed as he clasped his paws together, his body slightly calmed, "We haven't gotten any use out of that in years!"

"It could use some renovations," The gillperson scoffed as they crossed their arms.

"So, Mr. Fish, do you happen to have any sheep on you?" Hugo inquired as he examined the gillperson.

"Gurglefin." the gillperson held up a webbed finger.

"Gesundheit!" Hugo chirped with a warm smile.

"No, my name, it's Gurglefin," Gurglefin shot back with a look of frustration on his wet face, "I'm a Gillman, not a fish, and where would I keep a sheep? I'm not wearing pants, in case you couldn't tell."

Chihiro snickered for the first time in those past days then returned to a cold, neutral look.

"In all seriousness, Gurglefin, how'd you end up here?" Chihiro asked with a tilt of her head.

"Well," said Gurglefin as he rubbed his hands, "My homeland was taken over by trolls, who locked us all up and started drilling for oil to give to Kaos!"

The crustacean's eyes widened as their expression soured, then with sudden determination they pushed through the tiny crowd and shoved their face in Gurglefin's.

"What happened next?" The crustacean demanded, their voice deep and somewhat gravely in tone.

"Er, I came searching for the Skylanders," Gurglefin replied as he shrank back, "Because word on the stream was they had returned, but I somehow ended up in here instead!"

Silence resounded through the beach for a few moments before Chihiro coughed.

"Well, you're in luck, because I happen to have the Skylanders with me!" Chihiro chirped as she rubbed a fist against her chest.

Gurglefin gave Hugo one look and another, completely surprised.

"You mean him?" Gurglefin asked with a bewildered tone in his voice, "Because he doesn't look like a Skylander to me."

"He's not, but we are!" The crustacean proclaimed as they brushed a fist against their chest, "Name's Wham-Shell, and Zap and I will take care of those trolls before you can even blink!"

"Clearly I am not needed here," Hugo grumbled as he let out a little scoff and scurried away.

"Better apologize to him later." Wham-Shell sighed as he watched Hugo leave, "For now, looks like we've got an island to save!"

"I'll go get a portal set up!" Chihiro chirped as she dusted herself off and made her way to the stairs.

"That won't be needed," Gurglefin piped up as he raised up a webbed hand, "Because, I brought my own ship!"

"You have a ship?" Chihiro, Zap, and Wham-Shell asked all at once.

"Well, how else did you think I got here?" Gurglefin rested his hand back at his side.

"Swimming?" Chihiro guessed.

"Parasailing?" Zap suggested.

"Seahorse riding?" Wham-Shell assumed.

Chihiro gave Wham-Shell and Zap a strange look while they shrugged cluelessly.

"No, none of those!" Gurglefin exclaimed with a shake of his head, "I got here by sailing! I'll even show you my pride and joy! Here, Delilah!"

Gurglefin made a noise akin to a distorted whistle and immediately a massive, wooden schooner with billowing, white sails and a very sturdy oakwood mast shaped like a mermaid sailed into the docks and parked itself next to the shore.

Chihiro, Zap, and Wham-Shell stared in wonder as they looked upon the ship, until Chihiro's awestruck look morphed into a look of pure excitement.

"Well, guys, looks like we're going by boat! Isn't this cool?!" Chihiro shouted, her eyes bright as she ran across the docks before she jumped onto the ship and bounced up and down on its deck.

As Wham-Shell and Zap followed her, Zap grimaced towards Wham-Shell and gently nudged his shoulder.

"Wham, are you sure you're okay with this, buddy?" Zap asked, "Listen, dude, I know your history with tro—"

"It's fine, Zap," Wham-Shell insisted as his voice seethed, "That was all in the past."

"Dude, I've seen you when you think like that, it's not—"

"I said it's _fine_. I'm a Skylander now, I can't let some bad memories get in the way of my job." Wham-Shell looked down at his own hands and frowned deeply, "And besides, I can't let what happened to me happen to anybody else."

Zap frowned for a moment with a lingering gaze left on Wham-Shell, then he bit his lip and zoomed onto the ship.

"You look pumped!" Zap remarked as he joined Chihiro at her side.

Now that he was safely on board, Zap used his slippery paw to hesitantly beacon Wham-Shell over and watched as Wham-Shell joined them while he muttered something under his breath.

"Because I am, Zapster!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked at Zap, "I mean, how many people my age get to ride on a cool ship like this? None that I know, that's for sure!"

Chihiro then frowned as she watched Wham-Shell trek up the ramp, all while he muttered something that was barely audible to everyone around.

"I can't think about it, I can't think about it…" Wham-Shell murmured at a volume that could only barely be heard.

"Hey Wham, what'cha talking 'bout?" Chihiro chirped as she tilted her head.

"Nothing." Wham-Shell grunted and stormed off to the other side of the ship's deck.

Chihiro frowned and shrugged, then looked proud before her eyes trailed off to the steering wheel and an idea slowly formed in that strange head of hers. With a smile, she grabbed hold of the wheel and her smile grew wide. Then with a chirp, she span it around a spell and looked over to see the board retract into the rest of the ship!

Gurglefin whistled to himself as he strode up the wooden plank… Only for the plank to be pulled out from under him! With a shout of alarm he dashed up the platform and promptly tripped onto the deck, all while he panted heavily.

No mind paid to Gurglefin, Chihiro spun the wheel around and steered—very roughly, need it be said, because it seemed that at every turn she seemed to have rammed the hull into another rock or port.

"Whoops! Sorry! Meant to do that!" Chihiro shouted with a grimace as she carefully steered the ship away from the port, "I think I've got this now!"—Chihiro winced as she felt the ship ram against something—"Oh, nevermind that!"

Shouts and groans were heard all around as the ships' passengers were tossed left and right by Chihiro's steering, but their clear distaste was completely ignored by Chihiro. In fact, her mind was more preoccupied with this new strange sound of crashing water that she heard… Chihiro then looked across the wheel and saw that she had reached the end of the island! It was marked by clear, rushing waterfalls, and the dive seemed pretty darn steep—the skies were endless no matter how far down she looked… Say, Skylands wouldn't happen to have a bottom, would it?

"Uh, you guys might wanna grab onto something!" Gurglefin exclaimed as he dashed forward and clung to the base of the steering wheel.

However, he was ignored by all as the ship bounded down the waterfall, screams coming from all aboard.

Gurglefin screamed, Zap screamed, even Wham-Shell screamed!

But oddly enough, Chihiro just stared transfixed on the scene in front of her, absolutely entranced by the episode before her eyeballs. As she watched the scene, a bright red button found its way out of the wooden spokes on the side of the wheel and with no hesitation Chihiro smacked it down with her finger.

In a flash, billowy, white, sail-like wings popped out of the ship's side! And with the capture of a friendly breeze, the ship soared off!

"Oh, did I mention that Delilah's an all-terrain ship?" Gurglefin recalled as he snagged the wheel back from Chihiro.

Everybody else just gave Gurglefin unamused glances while Gurglefin shrugged helplessly.

§

Roughly an hour of sailing later, Chihiro smiled widely as Gurglefin parked the ship next to a creaky, oil-covered wooden dock that looked like it hadn't been tended to in years.

"We're he~re!" Chihiro announced as she leaned over the side of the dock.

As soon as they heard Chihiro's voice, Wham-Shell, Gurglefin and Zap raced to her side and peered over the ship's deck… Then they gasped and reeled back.

There in front of their eyes was a murky island that reeked of oil and despair. The oceans were an oily, gungy black, worn-down mechanical devices coated the island like pests and billowed out thick black smoke everywhere you turned and the earthy floors that hadn't been replaced by steel were a nasty shade of green. The whole place felt like it was despair personified.

"Dude, that is _NASTY!" _Zap exclaimed as he tumbled back.

Chihiro shuddered as she looked ahead, but her shock lasted only a moment as she regained her cheerful composure.

"Yep, definitely here!" Chihiro chirped.

Gurglefin only heaved a mournful sigh as he glazed over the island.

"This place used to be beautiful, you know," Gurglefin said, his tone and posture so defeated and sorrowful as he gazed over the island, "The oceans were clear as crystals, the air was so fresh…"—Gurglefin grimaced as he looked down at the oil-filled waters—"It was a regular paradise until Kaos's trolls came here to drill for oil!"

Everybody's expressions felt into a sympathetic level of sorrow, but most of all Wham-Shell's—there was a kind of understanding despair in his eyes as he pursed his lips, as if he felt Gurglefin's pain from the bottom of his heart.

Zap seemed to have noticed as well as he placed a paw on Wham-Shell's shoulder.

"And not only did they turn the whole place upside-down looking for oil, they captured all my people!" Gurglefin shuddered as he gazed over the island one last time, "Only the Ancients know what they'll do to them! They'll probably turn them into Gillpeople Goulash, or soup, or…"

Gurglefin stopped short as Chihiro placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked up to her sunny beam—a rare source of light in such a harrowing scene.

"Don't worry a scale off your head, Gurglewin!" Chihiro chirped as she turned confident and pumped a fist, "We'll stop those nasty trolls and make this island just as beautiful as it was before! No, fives times as beautiful, maybe even ten, or twenty, or—"—Chihiro looked over the island only to find that Zap and Wham-Shell had ran off without her—"Hey guys, wait for me!"

With short pants Chihiro dashed away from Gurglefin and ran down the plank.

"… It's Gurglefin." Gurglefin frowned and sighed as he slowly left the ship.

With a cheery beam, Chihiro dashed across the oily steel grounds. Of course, Chihiro happened to not notice the giant puddles of oil that surrounded the island, lost her footing on one and skidded all over the island! While she screamed as loud as she could, Chihiro zipped past a confused Zap and Wham-Shell then slammed right into a giant door!

Chihiro squeaked with pain before her eyes flickered away from the door and back to Wham-Shell and Zap… And Gurglefin, who were all staring at her with the most confused of looks.

"I'm okay, I meant to do that!" Chihiro reassured, though her pained look and the giant red mark between her eyes seemed to speak otherwise.

Wham-Shell gave her a concerned look, then approached Chihiro and yanked her off of the floor.

"Heh, guess I set myself up for that one," Chihiro whimpered, only to shy away as Wham-Shell stared at her with a scolding gaze.

"You need to be more careful," Wham-Shell chastised before he gave her another scolding look and went over to examine the gate, "Now, stay back for a minute while we examine this gate."

Chihiro gave the gate a curious look and hummed. It lacked a visible lock or key… How was it supposed to be opened? Then, her eyes focused on the various giant crystals held into places with rusty gold stands across the island's metal floors, each of which shone out iridescent beams of light despite the fact that the sun was heavily blocked by the smog.

"Wait, I've got an idea!"Chihiro chirped as she approached one of the crystals and examined it thoroughly.

She knelt down, dug her feet into the earth, and pushed the crystal forwards… But no dice—even after pushing for what seemed like hours, it didn't budge an inch.

Chihiro then stood back up, placed her hands on her hips and huffed.

"Ugh, why won't you move?!" Chihiro's patience wore thin as she side-kicked the machine!

The force from her kick made it skid forward—at last! The beam of light it emitted locked with a smaller crystal that was located next to the gate and caused the gate's doors to swing open with a thud.

Chihiro blinked for a few rapid moments, then beamed and rubbed a fist against her chest.

"Well, looks like it's open!" Chihiro grabbed Wham-Shell's armored hand and Zap's scaly paw then took a small step forwards, "Come on guys, let's go!"

Without any sort of warning Chihiro then zoomed forward and dragged them with her!

"Let's go save the gillpeople!" Chihiro exclaimed from a good distance as she flung her clenched fist in the air and Zap with it.

Gurglefin, meanwhile, just stared at them from the openness of the opened gate and made an awkward chuckle.

"Heh, guess I'll just stay here then?" Gurglefin suggested.

§

"Chihiro, for the love of Eon, slow down!" Wham shouted as he clung tight to her arm.

"What?" Chihiro shouted as she looked over at Wham-Shell, "I can't hear you over the sound of the wind!"

Chihiro's response caused Wham-Shell to groan and slap his armored hand on his forehead.

"Chi!" Zap shouted before he made a soft groan and held his head.

"What, Zapster?" Chihiro asked as she looked over at Zap.

"Stop! You're making me dizzy!"

Chihiro dug her heels into the ground and made a screeching sound as she slowed down and took a breath.

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Chihiro asked as she finally came to a stop and let the other two go free.

Wham-Shell heaved a frustrated sigh, before he took a deep breath and returning to a neutral composure.

"Our first order of business is finding those gillpeople that were imprisoned," Wham-Shell proclaimed as he held tight to his mace, his eyes darted from place to place as he spoke, "But where are they?"

The three of them hummed and pondered for a few short minutes—though to them, it seemed more like eternity. Eventually, after a while all they did was sigh.

"You got any ideas?" Wham-Shell asked as he fixed his eyes on Zap and Chihiro, then frowned as they shrugged.

"Not a clue, dude," Zap replied as he hung his head.

"Maybe we should split up," Chihiro suggested at last as she rested her hands at her side, "This island is pretty big—and there's a lot of places where someone could keep prisoners."

Wham-Shell and Zap contemplated this for a few minutes, then reluctantly nodded their heads.

"Alrighty then!" Chihiro chirped as she pointed towards the open passageway ahead, "Zap, Wham, you guys go on ahead! I'll stay here and check things out!"

Wham-Shell bit his lip as he watched Zap zoom off ahead then took once glance back at Chihiro.

"Just be careful, alright?" Wham-Shell said as he watched Chihiro give him a thumbs up.

"Careful is my middle name!" Chihiro giggled and scratched the back of her head as she withdrew her thumbs up, "Well, actually, I don't have a middle name—but the point still stands!"—Chihiro then tapped her feet, watched as they glowed a faint blue and zoomed off—"Later!"

The smoky breeze brushed through Chihiro's hair as she ran away while time seemingly slowed to a crawl… Then a cloud of smoke passed her by and sent her into a coughing fit! As she coughed her way into tomorrow Chihiro dug her heels into the ground and came to a stop, then watched as the cloud passed her by. With a frown she placed a hand on her chin and hummed.

"Now, if I were a troll, where would I keep my prisoners?" Chihiro asked herself as she walked off from the group, "Let's see, a dungeon? No, that would be too obvious, and I don't think that there's anyplace here that would work, unless it's an underwater dungeon!"—Chihiro let that sit for a minute or so but then shook it off—"Except trolls can't swim."

Just then, something caught her eye—a green, warty troll with a black mohawk atop their head that was polishing a golden sniper.

"What are you doing here, kid?" The troll asked in a croaky voice, as he looked up at Chihiro.

A smirk played on Chihiro's lips—now was her chance!

"Oh, just wondering where you keep your prisoners, that's all," Chihiro asked as she walked up to the troll, a feigned innocence in her voice.

"Oh, we keep them in these locked, iron cages!" The troll chirped with a smile, "Go a few feet back and you'll find the first one!"

"Okay, thanks!" And with that Chihiro zoomed off once more, her seemingly endless amount of energy fueling her excitement.

The troll smiled and waved goodbye, then went back to polishing his gun.

"What a nice kid."

The troll then heard a rapid buzzing, picked up something that resembled a com link and pressed a green button on it.

"ATTENTION, SERVANTS!" Kaos shouted from the other side of the device, his voice screechy and obnoxious as ever.

These very words immediately froze the troll into a salute.

"Yes, Lord Kaos?" He asked into the machine.

"I have received reports that the new poser master and the Skylanders have arrived on this island in order to rid it of my machines!"

"Wait, poser master?" The troll whispered to himself as a theory surely started to form in his miniature troll brain, then turned to address the com link, "Does this portal master happen to be a human kid?"

"Yes, fool! Why do you ask such obvious questions?"

The troll gulped, then turned off the com link in a flash.

"Sorry Lord Kaos, gotta go!"

With a new level of panic set upon him, the troll raced off to the rest of the island.

§

"Looks like I've found it," Chihiro said to herself as she brushed a hand against the object before her.

This object was a giant, round iron birdcage—or rather, fishcage—with a rusted golden lock planted on the door outside. Inside, a sunset orange gillperson who wore blue rubber trousers and a light blue shirt stared at her with wide, pleading eyes—as if they were hoping she was the savior they had been waiting for.

"Don't worry, I'll have you out in a jiffy!" Chihiro beamed as she watched the gillperson smile, then turned away and looked at the open fields.

"Now, to get the guys over here." Chihiro stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled before she gazed across the fields once more, "Whammy, Zapster, over here!"

Her waving continued for a few more moments, until she saw two fuzzy figures walk in from the distance—figures she immediately recognized as belonging to Wham-Shell and Zap.

"You found it! Rad!" Zap gurgled as he slid toward Chihiro's side and looked upon the cage, only for his smile to twist into a frown, "Okay, not so rad. Who would be freaky enough to do something like this?"

"Kaos," Wham-Shell whispered, the name ashes in his mouth as he turned to Zap and Chihiro with urgency in his eyes, "Now, we need to find the key. Search the entire island if you have to."

With a grunt and a nod, the trio began to part ways, their party split in three different directions with one objective shared in their minds.

"Knowing how the trolls are, they probably wouldn't have tossed it too far!" Chihiro shouted as she walked forward…

But before she could continue on, Chihiro felt something snag her foot and landed face-first in a puddle of murky water! After she coughed out the dirty water, Chihiro magicked up a towel and dried off her hair, then looked backwards.

"What on earth?…" Chihiro whispered as her eyes glazed over an oil puddle with a noticeable streak across its body and a small glimmer just barely visible from within its oily depths!

Chihiro crawled over to the shimmer and dove her handle into the oil, only to grasp something slender and hard. After she shook she oil off, she looked back down and beamed—because there in her hands was a rusty golden key!

"Got it!" Chihiro beamed and immediately made a break for the cage… Only to catch her feet on the oil and slide right into it instead!

"Ouch, that was smart." Chihiro reeled back and looked over the cage one more time.

She then picked up the key that had fallen towards the oil slicked ground in the collision and pushed it into the lock with a click. She was about ready to turn it when…

"There she is!" Shouted a raspy voice from out of nowhere!

Chihiro jolted and swerved her head around to find that something had found her—or shall we say, somethings?

There, surrounding her in a circle around the cage, was an entire armada of trolls, or what it seemed like from her eyes! They were all scowls and warts and oily hair, and each one was either beefed up with muscle or wielded dangerous-looking guns and bombs and other sorts of weapons—but they all shared one common factor, and that was their sheer anger. Worst of all, right at the front of the group was the same warty, green-skinned troll Chihiro had tricked into giving her the cage's location! He now stared her in the eye, his gun cocked and ready for shooting.

"Looks like the tables have been turned," the troll sneered with a proud look in his eyes, "Lord Kaos sure will be happy when I turn you in."

Chihiro trembled as she scrambled backwards, only to bump into the cage! Her breath was heavy as the trolls all closed in on her, ready to strike… Only for her to sneer.

"Look over there! A flying pig!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed to the smoky skies.

"A FLYING PIG?!" All the trolls shouted at once as they turned around with their eyes trained to the murky skies.

Chihiro created an energy sphere, an eager smile stretched across her lips, then tossed it straight at the troll who lead the group! As he fell to the floor with a thud, all the trolls turned back around—but were only faced with an eager-looking Chihiro who was now surrounded by explosive magic energy spheres!

The trolls screamed and cried out in pain as the energy spheres shot themselves at the trolls and exploded, which lit their battlefield in a bright cyan that became a welcome change of color among the murky greens and grays. Soon enough, Chihiro's own shouts of war became intermingled with her opponents', the commotion so great it would've attracted the attention of everyone around!

Including…

"Whoa, Whamster, check this out!" Zap shouted, his orange eyes fastened tightly on the scene before them as he nudged Wham-Shell's shoulder.

"Just how important is it, Zap?" Wham-Shell asked as he turned around, "I'm trying to find the key, in case you couldn't—"

Wham-Shell was rendered speechless for only moments as he watched the scene before him and bit his lip.

There, practically begging to be observed, was a repeated giant flare of cyan light that radiated with magic energy. Over the explosions one could just barely hear the sound of war—which included a cheery, youthful voice that they surely both recognized…

"CHIHIRO?!" Wham-Shell exclaimed as he saw a familiar childlike figure jump back from an explosion and shoot off a mechanical laser gun into the smoke.

"Look at her, she's awesome!" Zap said as his eyes widened from sheer excitement, "Just look at her go!"

"This isn't the time to sit around and watch!" Wham-Shell shuddered for a few moments, then grabbed Zap by the paw and dashed off, "She'll get killed taking on those things by herself!"

Chihiro, meanwhile, had jumped on top of a troll footsoldier and stomped them into the ground. With an overeager cackle, she snapped her fingers and watched as an entire array of magic spheres spun around her person.

"ALRIGHT, WHO WANTS TO GET BEAT DOWN NEXT?!" Chihiro shouted, a wide grin stretched across her face as her eyebrows furrowed.

However, she never got the chance to launch an attack—because a giant yellow starfish spun its way through the crowd and sent several enemies flying!

Chihiro uttered out a confused chirp, then let out a shrill squeal as something pulled her down from the troll she was standing on. After she was pulled out of the fray, Chihiro turned around and smiled—because there in front of her was Wham-Shell!

"Hey guys!" Chihiro chirped as she placed her fists on her hips, "You could've stayed out y'know, I've got the whole thing under control!"

"And miss the party? No way, dude!" Zap shouted back as lightning crackled from his mouth.

In record time Zap sent trails of lightning bolts barreling after his enemies, lightning bolts that shocked them in rapid successions and made entire lines of trolls fall unconscious!

Wham-Shell, however, gave Chihiro a scorning look.

"Chihiro, what were you thinking, taking those things on by yourself?!" Wham-Shell demanded, his fangs bared and sharp, "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I didn't find them! They found me!" Chihiro sputtered before she crossed her arms, "Besides, I was able to handle it! I was beating them down like it was nothing!"

"You're getting too cocky!" Wham-Shell snarled as he pointed a finger in Chihiro's face, his breath heavy, "Those trolls are too dangerous for a kid like you to face! You might think you have it under control, but what if—"

Before Wham-Shell could even finish scolding Chihiro, several trolls noted their position and launched into an attack! Wham-Shell grunted as one launched itself towards him, but quickly sent it flying with a swing of his mace! More and more trolls tried to attack, but it was fruitless—with every mighty swing of Wham-Shell's mace, they were sent soaring into the murky skies like baseballs.

"… That happened," Wham-Shell panted as he looked back at Chihiro.

Just then, some giant blur rammed into him and pushed him face-first into the ground! Wham-Shell turned around and struggled to get back up, only for his assaulter—a bulky troll that held a golden Gatling gun—to place their foot on Wham's chest, a sneer on their face as they cocked their gun.

"Thought you could win, huh, Skylander?" The troll smirked.

Wham gave the troll a dark stare, only for his pupils to shrink and his body to tremble. His whole body seemed like it was on lockdown—he could only helplessly stare as the troll cocked his gun and got ready to shoot when…

"Hey, get off'a him, you creep!" Chihiro shouted as she leaped forward and clocked the troll in the face.

The troll was caught aback by this and fell off Wham-Shell before it was flung off into a nearby wall by a giant magic sphere.

As she panted and watched the troll groan in pain, Chihiro knelt down and gently rubbed a hand on Wham-Shell's head.

"You alright, Wham?!" Chihiro asked as she gently wrapped an arm around his back, "You just completely froze when—"

"I'm fine, Chihiro," Wham-Shell insisted as he slunk away from Chihiro, his face painted with a troubled stare, "I just got caught off-guard."

Wham immediately turned around and staggered up, though he was still shaking all over. Clearly something was bothering him more than he wanted to let on…

"Hey, Whammy, somethin' up?" Chihiro playfully nudged him in the arm.

"Do you still know where the key is?" Wham-Shell's eyes darted from Chihiro and back again as his mouth pursed into a cold frown.

"'Course I do." Chihiro pointed to to the iron cage, where the key was still safely inserted, "Why'd you ask?"

"Don't we have a gillperson to free?" Wham-Shell prompted Chihiro with a gentle nudge in the arm.

Chihiro took a few moments to process this thought when something finally struck her.

"Oh, right! Sorry Whammy, gotta go—I've got a gillperson to free!"

And with that, Chihiro zoomed off and left only an oily cloud of dust behind her while Wham-Shell heaved a sigh.

"The mission is the biggest priority right now, you can't keep thinking about the past," Wham-Shell reminded himself as his head began to spin just slightly, "Don't think about it. Just don't think about it..."

"WHAMMY! Aren't you coming?" Chihiro shouted as she stopped in place and tapped her foot, her hands on her hips.

"I'm coming, Chihiro." Wham-Shell heaved a sigh and trudged along.

§

"There ya go, buddy, all free!" Chihiro chirped as she watched the lock with the key twisted inside the keyhole fall to the ground.

This newfound lack of weight flung the cage door open, which allowed the gillperson inside to roam free.

"Thank you, miss!" The gillperson exclaimed as they shook Chihiro's hand.

They then ran off in a flash, all while they cheered and celebrated their newfound freedom. Just seeing them so happy and free could revitalize anyone's spirits!

"One down, who knows how many to go!" Chihiro gave Zap and Wham-Shell looks that screamed the words she said later, "Ready for a run?"

With a smile, Chihiro raced off before they gave her an answer! She only left them to watch as a cloud of dust blocked her location.

"Last one there's a Tarclops!" Zap exclaimed as he zipped off on a trail of sea slime, a wide smile stretched across his face.

"Wait up!" Wham-Shell shouted as he chased after the two then shook his head, "Kids."

As Chihiro ran, she paused to look at what seemed to be a crackling bolt of lightning that zipped past her in an instant!

"Wait, isn't that?…" Chihiro remarked before she snapped back into reality and ran after Zap, "Zap! Wait! For me! Man, this is tiring."

Chihiro collapsed in a heap on the floor as she panted and shuddered. Clearly, she had exerted herself a lot in the prior fight.

As he caught up to her, Wham-Shell frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That fight took a lot out of you, didn't it?" Wham-Shell asked, his tone oddly caring despite how irate he had been earlier.

As her shoulders sagged, Chihiro looked up at Wham-Shell and nodded slightly.

Wham-Shell then managed a small, weak smile as slid his arm under her shoulder and heaved her back up, his eyes fixed on her as she caught her breath.

Chihiro leaned on him for a few minutes, then slowly regained her footing and let go. Her eyes kept on her feet, Chihiro took small steps towards where Zap was. Then steps turned to a walk, a walk turned into strides, and soon enough Chihiro ran after Zap with pure excitement.

"Zapster! Wait up!" Chihiro shouted as she waved her hand.

Meanwhile, Wham-Shell looked at the long road ahead and smiled.

_Those kids sure have a lot of spirit,_ he thought, _Even when things look as awful as they do around here, they're still all smiles and vigor. I can't let them outdo me, can I?_

Wham-Shell stepped forward, then breathed in the scent of oil and flinched. No, can't think about that right now… With a shake of his head and a slight shudder he took another step forwards… Then felt two giant hands clasp on his shoulders and turned around to find the last thing he hoped to see.

There before him with a tight grip on his shoulders was a giant, hairy green troll! The only signs of clothing worn were the sleeves to what appeared to be a pair of worn, dusty red overalls and two giant black and gold gauntlets on their wrists. On that giant troll's shoulder was a smaller, orange troll who wore deep blue trousers and cradled a Gatling gun. A cocky sneer spread across the smaller troll's ugly face as what seemed like an entire armada formed behind him.

"You're coming with me, Skylander," were the only words the small troll said, their voice so twisted with pride that it made Wham-Shell sick.

Not just sick to his stomach, no—Wham-Shell's whole head begin to spin as he felt his hands clam up. Something about that voice seemed familiar, and not in a good way...

"Wait, Joe, don't we know this guy?" The larger troll said as their eyes glazed over the small troll who was presumably Joe.

Joe thought for a good few minutes, then his eyes lit up.

"Yeah, Bob!" Joe's sneer grew wider as he glared down Wham-Shell, "It's that lousy excuse of a king who couldn't even save his own kingdom from being blown to bits!"

Wham-Shell only growled in response. His head throbbed with rage and slight panic as he struggled against Bob's grasp.

"Yeah, and he's a Skylander now!" Bob made an awful chuckle, "I'm surprised they even let him in, considering he couldn't even save his own kingdom from us trolls!"

"If they even let him in, I bet these Skylanders won't be able to stop Kaos from conquering Skylands!" Joe crooned as he clearly reveled in Wham-Shell's growing frustration.

Wham-Shell struggled against the larger troll's grip, but he couldn't—his captor was just too strong. But he couldn't let that deter him—he had to get out of here, now!

"Now, to contact Lord Kaos." Bob tapped on the black and gray communicator around his wrist until feedback resounded from it.

"WHAT IS IT, MINION?!" Kaos demanded from the other side of his communicator.

"Sir, we've managed to capture a Skylander!" Bob proclaimed as he cringed.

"You? Capture a Skylander?" Kaos cackled so hard that he would've probably started crying, "Don't make me laugh. Oh wait, I just did! Now stop wasting my time and continue drilling!"

"Yes, boss." Bob turned off his communications device before he stared at Wham-Shell and frowned, "Whaddya gonna do with this one, Joe?"

"Eh, I dunno, just tie 'em up and leave him here I guess. If he's as good a Skylander as he was a king, he won't be any problem to us!" Joe sneered.

They both then broke into a mocking chorus of laughter, a chorus that resonated around Wham-Shell and made his entire body completely lock up. No matter what he did, he couldn't move a muscle—all he could do was drink in the sounds that made his head throb. Everywhere, he was surrounded by laughs that got louder, shrieks that got higher as visions of crumbling buildings and fallen allies that cascaded downwards into the depths of the ocean, as every moment that haunted him came back in full force.

_Save us, King Neptune!_

_For Crustacea!_

_Come on, you can make it! Just a little bit further and we'll be at the infirmary! _

_No soldier, don't give me that look! You're not dying on me, not here, not now!_

_**BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!**_

All these voices and more resonates around his head, and that's when something in Wham-Shell snapped! His heart raced and his head throbbed, his breaths turned faint as he tried desperately to escape, an overwhelming sense of dread and panic now fallen over him. Without even thinking he grabbed his mace and smacked it straight into Bob's gut, but he didn't even fully register what had happened. He didn't even hear what Joe spat into his wrist as he and Bob skidded across the sands, and only barely comprehended the mass of colorful, armed trolls that surrounded him shortly afterwards.

Because in his mind, he was no longer on the island.

He was in his old kingdom, on the very day it was destroyed.

§

Wham-Shell's breath was heavy as he shot of a barrage of starfish towards a trio of trolls as he stepped back, his legs turned shaky from panic. But no, he couldn't panic now, he had to get out of here! Except, there were no ways out—those trolls had him surrounded.

Another large troll leaped forward and pounded their giant fists into the ground, which sent Wham-Shell flying! As he hit the floor, he staggered back up and swung his mace straight into the troll's gut, which sent them barreling straight into the crowds! His breath turned heavy as the troll sent several of its comrades barreling into the oceans—only for more to take their places!

"These blokes are everywhere," Wham-Shell whispered, "Just how many are there, anyways?!"

His eyes darted back and forth as his balance swayed, almost completely unable to keep his footing in the sand. But nevertheless, he stood and glared them down—now was no time to rest, he had to save this place! With a loud shout Wham-Shell swung his mace at the various trolls that launched at him like a shark launches itself towards its prey. Each one was sent soaring into the skies within moments, but it was no use to celebrate—their replacements kept filing in! At this rate, there'd be too many for him to handle!

Just then, one of the burly trolls grabbed Wham-Shell and flung him against one of the stone walls! Wham-Shell was completely helpless to stop them, only able to scream in pain as he collided with the wall and slid down.

The giant group of troll soldiers all closed in on him, the sound of their mocking laughter a chorus to his screams. They all imposed themselves on him so that little else could be seen as they all readied their weapons and smiled—because they knew Wham-Shell could do nothing to stop him.

His body had grown weak from all the fighting, and he could barely even stand—let alone fight. All he could do was watch in terror as they prepared to attack, his pupils dilated as his breath stopped short.

_No—this can't be happening!_

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Squealed a young voice filled with pain!

Just then, some human kid ran in front of Wham-Shell and created a magic force field around the two of them. With tears in her eyes, they cradled his body like one would a child's before they hugged him tight and cried.

"WHAM!" The kid sobbed as she hugged him tight, "Wham, please be alright, please, please…"

Wham-Shell then groaned as he looked up at the child. He knew this kid from somewhere, but something had completely blocked out his memory. What was their name?…

"Wh, where am I?…" Wham-Shell mumbled, still in a daze as he tried to focus his vision.

"WHAM!" The kid sobbed into his shoulder, "I, I, I…"

Wham-Shell only gently pushed the kid away and fell back onto the sand, then looked up at the kid. Their whole body seemed so frail, yet oddly enough they were powerful enough to keep up an impressive force field—and their brown eyes shone with a familiar kind of youth. Wait, now he remembered who this kid was!

"Chihiro, you shouldn't have come here," Wham-Shell croaked, his voice weak and cracked, "I—"

Chihiro firmly shook her head as she stood in front of Wham-Shell and threw her hands in front of the magic barrier she had crafted. As she did this, the barrier pulsated and glowed brighter!

"I may not have been able to protect Spyro and Gill," Chihiro croaked as she just barely held back tears and gulped, "But, I'll… I'll surely protect you! I won't, I won't—"

As Chihiro choked on her words, the trolls pounded away at her barrier and made it crack—and from the looks of it, it wouldn't last much longer. Chihiro could only scream as one last pound from one large troll became the finishing blow that shattered the barrier completely!

The trolls all cackled as a terrified Chihiro froze in place, only for one to headbutt her and slam her against a wall! Chihiro cried out and trembled as her entire body trembled with rough, coursing pain, her chestnut eyes in a frantic daze as she looked up at the trolls that had enclosed them.

"Chihiro!" Wham-Shell called out, his pupils tiny as his whole body shook violently… Then stopped completely as he fell weak onto the sands. His whole body was on lockdown again, so weak and shaken that all he was able to do was watch Chihiro shudder and writhe in pain.

"Wham!" Chihiro frantically crawled to Wham-Shell's side and cradled his comatose body in her arms once more, then whimpered as she looked up at the trolls.

This was it.

This was how they were going to die, and it was all his fault.

_Chihiro… I'm so sorry, _Wham-Shell thought as he looked up at Chihiro, _I wasn't strong enough._

Chihiro wrapped her body around Wham-Shell's in some vain effort to shield him from the attacks that were to come, all hope seemingly lost, then…

"SO NOT RAD, DUDES!"

Another voice broke the surface as Chihiro saw a familiar blue figure zip into the battlefield—Zap!

Enraged, Zap stormed up to the heart of the battlefield and shot a bolt of lightning straight into one troll's back.

This caused that one troll to fall over unconscious and subsequently caused the other to look over at Zap with deep scowls. As they began chasing after Zap, Zap slid around the island in a circular motion while the trolls fruitlessly chased after him—but he was too fast for their slow, clunky selves.

However, what the trolls didn't realize is that whenever Zap slid about, slime formed under his paws—and the more and more Zap circled, the stronger and stickier the slime he produced got! As soon as they charged into Zap's slime pit, they got completely stuck!

"You dudes have some nerve, ganging up on my buddies like this," Zap gargled, a surprising level of venom in his voice as he glared down the trolls who struggled in the slime pit, "What do you have to say for yourselves?!"

"It's his fault for being so _weak_," sneered Bob, "He can't even save his own kingdom, but he thinks he can play Skylander? Ha!"

Chihiro looked down at Wham-Shell, who only rapidly blinked as his face fell.

"What he said!" Chimed in Joe as he sat on Bob's shoulder, "Some king he was! He couldn't even stop us from drilling down his own kingdom for oil! How's he gonna save one measly island?"

Chihiro let out a shallow breath as she looked back up at the trolls, then at Wham-Shell before she gently laid him back down on the sand.

"I may not really know what you're talking about, but…" Chihiro said as her gaze narrowed and she staggered, "Wham isn't weak at all! You've got it all wrong!"

With a snap of her fingers she summoned a basketball-sized magic sphere and tossed it right at Joe, then watched with pride as he fell off Bob's shoulder and face-first into the slime pit.

This caused all the other trolls to turn to Chihiro and grow enraged, but she only stood tall as she readied more magic spheres, her gaze serious and stern. The trolls yelled out and stomped after Chihiro, but the energy spheres she had summoned whooshed away from her and slammed into most of them, which sent them all flying back into the pit!

"I think I understand now," Chihiro said as she turned back to Wham-Shell and smiled, "You came here in the first place because you wanted to make sure that what happened to your home didn't happen to anyone else, right?"

Wham-Shell was so stunned that he could only nod. Chihiro's gentle, almost angelic smile made him feel a little more at ease until he heard a roar and they both looked up

There, one particularly large troll was running towards them both!

"Wham wanted to protect these people! He wanted to keep them safe!" Chihiro jumped out the way of the stampeding troll and kicked them in the back.

The troll turned around and growled as it readied an attack of its own—but Chihiro was faster than it was! With a mighty cry she punched the troll straight in the face and watched as it yowled out in pain and stumbled backwards into a rock wall before it passed out.

"He cared so much for these people he didn't even know that he wanted to protect them no matter what." Chihiro's eyes burned with judgmental fire as she stared down the remaining trolls and pointed at them, "And that makes him way stronger than any of you! If anything, you're the weak ones here, hurting all these people when they can't even stop you!"

"Chihiro…" Wham-Shell whispered, completely taken aback by Chihiro's sudden speech.

"Yeah!" Zap gargled as his whole body charged with electricity as powerful as the angered stare he made, "Even though Wham lost his home and his people, he never gave up even for a second! He still wanted to protect people from what happened to him! And that's what makes him a Skylander!"

"Zap…" Wham-Shell whispered against as he watched Chihiro and Zap stand strong. For a moment, he felt something in his heart warm up…

"A hero?! Don't make me laugh!" Joe proclaimed as he shook the slime and ran towards Zap, "He couldn't even stop us when we captured him! I'm surprised you haven't sent that puny little crab back to his home yet!"—Joe then paused for a moment and smirked—"Oh, I forgot—IT'S GONE NOW!"

"NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!" Zap shot a lighting bolt that zapped Joe in the chest and sent Joe reeling back—but only for a minute.

Before Joe could retaliate, however, he was surrounded by an aqua glow and quickly flew to face Chihiro.

"You're all just awful," Chihiro said as she fell into a tranquil rage, "You're taking away everything from these people! Their home, their families, their safety… Only weak cowards like you would terrorize people who can't even fight back!"

With a mighty cry Chihiro grabbed the troll and tossed him back into Zap's slime pit, then shuddered as she heaved heavy breaths. This rage she had felt so strange—Chihiro tended to get frustrated here and there, but she had never emitted such raw, untapped anger before. It almost made her look intimidating.

And the same thing seemed to go for Zap—impulsive and careless as he was, Zap was never the type to lose his temper, especially violently. Yet he was, so enveloped by rage that his whole body was now coated in electricity! He looked more like a giant spec of light than anything as he charged to and fro on his slim trail and rammed into the trolls that tried to fight back! With every crash he made, he sent what was surely thousands of lightning volts into their bodies and made them surge with pain—literally!

As the trolls fell comatose around the beach, Chihiro took a breath and slowly walked up to Zap.

"Is that all of them?" Chihiro asked as Zap came to a crackling stop while the electricity that surrounded him vanished.

Before Zap could even reply, however, something slammed onto both of their shoulders and grabbed them tight! They both squirmed and struggled as their mysterious assailant lifted them in the air, then they turned around to find it was none other than Bob!

"Missed one," Bob sneered as Chihiro and Zap both made shocked gasps.

"Let us go!" Chihiro demanded as she kicked against Bob's belly—but it was no use. She was far too weak to even leave a bruise!

"Why should I?" Bob made a toothy grin as he looked back at Wham-Shell, "It's not like your little buddy over there's gonna save you! He couldn't even save himself from us!"

"SHUT UP!" Zap shouted as he bit down on Bob's finger!

Bob yowled in pain, then growled as he glared down Zap and squeezed Zap tighter.

"Why're you so worked up about this crab, anyways?" Bob placed his free hand on his hip, clearly not bothered by Zap's attack.

"Because he's our friend! Even though he's kinda cold sometimes, I know he cares about us! He'd do the same thing for us any day!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked at Bob with wide, determined eyes.

"Yeah!" Zap shouted in retaliation as he shot down Bob with a piercing glare.

Chihiro's eyes sparkled for a moment as she let out an eager gasp, then her expression turned serious as she glared down Bob once more.

"So we're not just gonna let you toss him around and talk him down like some ragdoll!" Chihiro exclaimed as she kicked Bob once more, "We're gonna stick up for him no matter what!"

"Blah, blah, blah, too much talking," Bob grumbled as he rolled his eyes, "Let's just cut to the chase already!"

Bob lifted up the arm with Chihiro captive inside, about ready to strike… Then something struck him in the back and made him fall face-first into the sand!

Chihiro screamed as she fell down, only to notice that Bob's grip on her hand loosened and jumped out of their hand! As she looked over Bob's back, she broke into a smile.

Because there, across from Bob's comatose body was Wham-Shell! He now stood tall as he rested his mace back at his side while a steely expression graced his face—thankfully, his strength had returned to him while he witnessed their fight.

"Wham!" Chihiro exclaimed as she dashed across Bob's back and leaped forward, "Thank goodness!"

Chihiro quickly tackled Wham-Shell into a hug and for the first time that day Wham-Shell made a soft laugh and hugged Chihiro tight.

"Dude, you're back!" Zap exclaimed as he gazed at Wham-Shell, complete shock in his orange eyes.

As Wham-Shell looked at them both, the cold in his gaze subsided into something much more warmer and maybe a little more vulnerable.

"Chihiro, Zap…" Wham-Shell said at last, his voice a little hoarse but full of emotion, "Thank you."

"You heard all of that big fight, didn't you?" Chihiro asked.

Wham-Shell nodded as he poked Bob's foot with his mace then slowly drew it back. He went silent afterwards and looked aside, as if there was something on his mind but he didn't really want to—or know how to—say it outright. Which was true—he had a lot of things he wanted to say to them, but… Eh, it was no use thinking it over now.

Finally, his gaze turned neutral as he stumbled away from Chihiro and Zap.

"C'mon, we've got an island to—" Wham-Shell stopped short as he heard something lurch up from the earth and turned around to find…

"Did you really think one little starfish was gonna stop me?" Bob asked as he stood tall and tossed the aforementioned starfish into the oily ocean, "Hah! You really are stupid!"

Wham-Shell bared his teeth and gained a serious expression as he drew his mace.

"Chihiro, Zap, get back!" Wham-Shell exclaimed as he glared down Bob, "This is gonna get dangerous!"

Chihiro and Zap quickly heeded his warning and back up quite a couple paces from the fight that would soon break out. Though there was a bit of fear in their eyes, what Wham-Shell mostly saw was trust—trust that he could do it!

"You think you're so tough, don't'cha?" Bob sneered as he pounded on the ground and sent Wham-Shell soaring in the air, "Tryin' to stick up to the big bad troll? You think you're some kinda superhero, don't'cha?"

Wham-Shell grunted as he caught himself in mid-air and landed on his feet.

"I'll be the first to admit, I'm no great hero," Wham-Shell said as he stepped forward, his grasp on his mace tight, "I've made a lot of mistakes, and I have regrets like anyone else."

Bob scoffed, as if he thought Wham-Shell had affirmed his statement.

"But." Wham-Shell opened his eyes and bore a confident smile as he stared down Bob, "I'll be damned if I just stand by and watch while you hurt innocent people!"

Wham-Shell then slid forward and whammed his mace against Bob's leg pit, which in turn flipped Bob upside-down! With a loud CRASH, Bob landed headfirst into the beach and groaned as he staggered back up with a nice bump atop his ugly head.

"I may not have been able to save my kingdom from you _monsters_, but I won't let that stop me from saving theirs!" Wham-Shell then shot several starfish into Bob's belly and watched as the starfish flung Bob into a wall, "And besides, you're forgetting one important detail."

Wham-Shell walked up to Bob and smirked.

"This time, I'm not alone." Wham-Shell made a soft smile as he looked back at an eager-eyed Chihiro and Zap, "I've got my fellow 'lander and my portal master right here! And as long as they're here to support me, I could never lose!"

Wham-Shell raised his mace over his head and glared down at Bob.

"So you're out of luck. Sorry about that, Bob."

Bob could only wince as Wham-Shell whacked him upside the head, then fell unconscious onto the sands. Wham-Shell had to admit—it was quite satisfying to see Bob finally fall under the pound of his mace and rendered completely harmless.

"WHAM!" Chihiro exclaimed as she bolted forward.

As Wham-Shell turned around, Chihiro wrapped him in a tight hug and gently stroked his smooth shell. He couldn't help but smile as she did, then gently hugged her back.

As Zap joined them, he gently nudged a paw against Wham-Shell's face.

"I'm fine, Zap, really." Wham-Shell smiled as he looked over at Zap.

"That was amazing, dude!" Zap chirped as he nudged Wham-Shell's shoulder with his head.

Wham-Shell only made a soft chuckle and smile as he leaned against Zap and took a few shaky steps.

Chihiro made a giggle of her own, then looked back down on Bob.

"Don't feel too bad for him," Zap said as he gaze fell back on Chihiro and Bob.

"It's not that, Zap. Look!" Chihiro said as she pointed towards a shiny glimmer that poked its way out from Bob's back pocket.

Chihiro knelt down and dug her hand through the pocket, then yanked out a rusty metal keyring filled with keys! With a beam she held it up for Wham-Shell and Zap to see.

"Come on, we've still got gillpeople to free!" Chihiro joined Zap and Wham-Shell, then gently wrapped her hand around Wham-Shell's and glazed over the murky, oily island scenery.

As Wham-Shell followed her gaze, he couldn't help but feel a little dizzy. His head was still a blur as he reflected on the fight earlier—and the others' actions. He honestly didn't expect Chihiro, ever so cheery and bright, to take on such a serious nature—it was like something else had taken control of her! For that matter, he had never expected Zap to react like that, either!

And yet, they both had snapped the moment they had seen Wham-Shell in such danger and pain… They really cared about him that much, huh?

Wham-Shell couldn't help but smile as they walked along the oily grounds.

They were good kids.

§

"There you go, buddy," Chihiro chirped as she unlocked a cage and watched the gillperson inside run free, "All free!"

The trio smiled as they watched the gillperson inside retreat to safety, pure silence echoed around the area, and then…

"Thank goodness you managed to free them!"

Chihiro jumped in the area only to realize—hey, she knew that voice! She then turned around to find Gurglefin staring straight at her, which caused her to jump once more.

"Hey! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tugged on her jacket.

"You're welcome, it's what we do!" Zap chirped as he slid up to meet Gurglefin, completely unfazed by Gurglefin's surprise appearance, only to frown, "… Is something up, dude?"

Gurglefin frowned as he played with his webbed hands. He looked a little anxious still, as if there was something on his mind…

"Well, the thing is," Gurglefin said before he gulped, "You see, there's something I forgot to tell you."

"Figured as much," Chihiro sighed as she rested the keyring back at her waist, "Spills the sardines, Gurglefin!"

Gurglefin shot Chihiro a tired look, then cleared his throat.

"Most of our people were locked up in this giant troll factory," Gurglefin said as he pointed to the island's horizon, "The ones out here were just extras they couldn't fit in there!"

Chihiro frowned, then followed Gurglefin's outstretched hand to see a giant, wonky factory placed at the top of the island. It was covered in giant pumps that bellowed out thick, black smoke, and something about its gloomy, imposing nature made it the cherry on top of this awful, oily sundae.

"Well then, looks like those trolls were smarter than I thought," Chihiro said as she looked back at Gurglefin and pumped a fist, "But that doesn't matter! We'll just have to storm the factory and free them!"

"Gurglefin, can you lead us to the factory?" Wham-Shell asked as he rested his mace at his side.

"Well, I cod_—_could," Gurglefin said before he made a soft wince, "But those trolls set up a lot of traps and stuff—it's really dangerous!"

"Who do you think we are, dude?" Zap teased as he stood proud, "We're Skylanders—we eat danger for breakfast! And lunch, and dinner, and sometimes as a—"

"I'm sure he gets the point, Zapster!" Chihiro chirped as she walked forwards, "Now time's a'wastin'! Let's go to that fact—OWCH!"

Chihiro rammed face-first into a giant steel door and stumbled back, then moaned in pain as she cradled her face. With a grunt and a shake of her head, she looked up and frowned.

"Fool me once, shame on you," Chihiro remarked as she dusted herself off, "But fool me twice, shame on me."

"This must be another one of those crystal puzzles," Wham-Shell remarked as he looked over the gate.

"Why?" Chihiro looked over at Wham-Shell and tilted her head.

Wham-Shell only pointed to his side, where a giant crystal that emitted a brightly-colored laser beam stood tall and sturdy.

"Ohhhh…" Chihiro made a soft giggle and scratched the back of her head, "Didn't see that there."

With a smile Chihiro skipped over to the crystal and side-kicked it, which slid it a few paces to the west and caused its laser to lock with another crystal, which in turn locked with a small crystal mounted near the gate. With a sound akin to that of screeching metal the gate receded and revealed an area covered in metal platforms!

"Is this the way, Gurglebin?" Chihiro asked as she looked over at Gurglefin.

"It's Gurglefin," Gurglefin moaned as he made a shaky nod, "And unfortunately… Yes."

"Then let's go!" With a bright beam Chihiro snagged Gurglefin's hand and marched off, her head held high.

"Wait, don't tell me, I don't have to go too, do I?" Gurglefin gulped as if he already knew the answer.

"Of course, you're the only one that knows the way!"

"… Oh carp."

Wham-Shell and Zap only shrugged as they followed Chihiro's trail.

And so the journey continued as they trekked through the metallic, oil-stained wastelands of the gillpeople's home. Despite how dreary everything around them was, however, they refused to relent! Their spirits were vigorous as ever as they traveled across the island…

"There you go!" Chihiro chirped as she freed an olive-colored gillwoman dressed in a black wetsuit while Wham-Shell and Zap opened another gate…

"Careful now, Chi!" Zap shouted as he caught Chihiro on his back after she slipped on an oil puddle…

"You're free now!" Chihiro said as she unlocked a cage and ushered away an elderly gillman…

"Watch out!" Wham-Shell exclaimed as he slammed his mace down onto the top of a large troll tank while the others narrowly dodged its artillery…

It was long and tedious indeed, but the journey was nearly over—they had reached the factory, and dear lord, it was even worse in person! The metal that made up the factory was rusty and cold and coated in oil stains, its door was as large as a house, probably, and made of tough steel, and all across its roof were pumps that churned out massive amounts of smoke. All sorts of creepy, creaky noises emitted from within the factory despite its lack of windows, and it felt so out of place compared to the sandy beaches of the past.

"Well," Chihiro said as she took a breath and exhaled, "I'm ready when you guys are!"

Wham-Shell only made a soft grunt and pushed the doors open—which was surprisingly easy despite their imposing size and metal structure. As the doors fully open, he peered inside—but there was nothing but steel floors and walls coated in rust. It seemed so… empty.

"Hellooooooooo?" Chihiro shouted as she leaned against the doors and peered inside, "Any gillpeople here?"

Gurglefin slapped a wet hand over Chihiro's mouth and quickly shushed her.

"Keep it down!" Gurglefin whispered as he eyes darted from side to side, "Do you _want _the trolls to hear you?!"

"What trolls?" Chihiro replied as she pried Gurglefin's hand off of her mouth, "The whole place's empty!"

"I wouldn't be so certain, Chihiro," Wham-Shell replied as he carefully walked into the factory, "You never know what could be lurking around these kinda places."

Wham-Shell tapped the bottom of his mace against the metallic floors, which only made a resounding banging noise. After a few minutes of staring at nothing, he watched as Chihiro and Zap carefully followed him inside.

"I'll just stand guard here!" Gurglefin proclaimed as he carefully inched away from the doors, "Just to be safe."

"Doesn't this place have a light switch or something?" Chihiro asked as she clapped her hands a couple times, then frowned as she looked around, "Guess not."

Just then, a soft sizzling sound echoed around the factory's base room. It was barely audible, but it was there—and it grew louder by the second.

"… Do you guys hear that?" Chihiro looked at Wham-Shell and Zap, who both nodded furiously.

Then with a frown she looked up at the ceiling. As the fizzling sound grew even louder, a glowing red dot manifested on the ceiling, initially small but grown bigger over seconds. It kinda seemed like…

ZAP!

The trio just barely jumped out of the way as a giant laser shot down from the ceiling.

"Where did that come from?!" Chihiro exclaimed, only to scream in panic as even more lasers rained down from the ceiling!

She, Wham-Shell and Zap practically danced around the metal floors as red-hot lasers bolted down from the ceiling like hail, with no sanctuary in sight!

"We've gotta get outta here!" Chihiro shouted as she bounced away from a square that was drilled into by a laser.

"Where would we go?" Wham-Shell shouted back, "There's nowhere to hide!"

Wham-Shell was right—the entire area was just a vast, open square… Or so it seemed. The entire place was so dark that aside from the spots illuminated by the lasers' light, it was hard to tell one's left from their right!

Chihiro grunted as she dodged another laser, watched as several more crashed down a couple paces away from where she currently stood… Then frowned and squinted.

Several beady, red orbs peered out from a space across the room—more lasers? Hopefully not.

Chihiro watched them for a few more minutes, then yelped as a laser shot down only inches away from where she stood and startled her into falling flat on her face. As she grumbled and sat back up, screechy laughter echoed throughout the factory.

"Hey, guys, that isn't funny!" Chihiro retorted as she crossed her arms.

"That wasn't us, Chi!" Zap replied as he slid away from a trio of lasers.

"I'd recognize that laugh anywhere!" Wham-Shell exclaimed as he ran to their side and glared down the orbs, "Spell punks!"

The red orbs grew wider as they heard Wham-Shell's words—clearly he was right on target. With various panicked chattering noises they dashed away from their hiding spot!

"After them!" Wham-Shell proclaimed as he jumped on Zap's back.

Zap grunted and zoomed off, the potency of his slime enhanced by the slick metal of the floors. Despite how furiously the lasers rained down, they couldn't catch him—he was far too fast, so fast he was merely a blur to the untrained eye!

As they drew closer to the source of those strange red orbs, Wham-Shell readied his mace and shot off several starfish! The starfish shot off like rockets into the dark, then a wet slapping noise and pained moans echoed through the hall.

As Zap came to a stop, the lights slowly flickered on and revealed the culprits—a trio of spell punks with beady, glowing red eyes dressed in black and silver robes. The starfish had them all stuck to one of the many rusty metal walls in the factory, with moans and groans and grumbles all about.

"The lasers, they're gone!" Chihiro exclaimed as she joined Wham-Shell and Zap, "You guys did it!"

"You bet we did!" Zap gargled as he watched Wham-Shell slide off his back.

Chihiro beamed, then spun around the corner and smiled even wider as she looked back at Zap and Wham-Shell and pointed around the corner.

"Stairs!"

The two of them peered around the corner and found that she was right—right next to where the spell punks had been trapped was a lengthy metal staircase! The trio made their way onto the staircase and climbed, while each stair made a metallic clank with each step they took. The staircase was quite lengthy, though… Each flight seemed never-ending, and each stop only lead to another length flight that looked near-identical to the prior.

"Is it possible to walk up in circles, by any chance?" Chihiro asked as she stopped and heaved a sigh.

Zap and Wham-Shell stopped for a few minutes, then bolted up the stairs.

"Guys, wait!" Chihiro exclaimed as she bolted after them!

The stairs seemed to fly by as she ran her fastest—by the time she had stopped to rest, she found herself on a metal platform with large, open red doors! The light that emitted from it was so bright it almost burned, but curiosity got the better of Chihiro and made her run right in.

When she reached the other side, Chihiro had arrived on a giant platform that hung over the rest of the factory from what seemed like hundreds of feet above, suspended from the ceiling by multiple large, rusty metal chains. Wham-Shell and Zap had arrived there before she did, and currently flanked the object of large interest—a giant cage filled with gillpeople of all ages, shapes and sizes!

"Chihiro!" Wham-Shell called as he looked over at Chihiro, "Do you still have the keys?"

Chihiro beamed as she pulled the keyring out of her pocket and showed it off for everyone to see. Most of its keys had been discarded—all that remained with three large, rusty golden ones. It didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, but to the gillpeople in the cage, just the sight of those keys made them hoot and holler!

Chihiro walked up to the cage and saw that on its door was a giant steel lock with three keyholes inside. She then cast a look to Wham-Shell and Zap and nodded.

"One…" Chihiro said as she took off the keys, then gave one to Wham-Shell and Zap.

"Two…" Zap gargled as all three placed their keys inside the keyholes.

"THREE!" Wham-Shell exclaimed as they all turned the keys!

With a satisfying click, the lock fell to the ground and the cage door swung open! However, the rusty creak of the open door was only barely heard over the sound of cheering gillpeople and the pounding of an entire school of stampeding gillpeople.

"C'mon, everyone! Let's get out of here!"

§

"Heave!" Shouted Wham-Shell as he and a small crowd of gillpeople pulled down a catapult loaded with lit bombs

"HO!" Everyone shouted in unison as the catapult released and flung hundreds of bombs into the factory's pipes.

The fuse hit the gunpowder as soon as the bombs landed inside the metal contraption, which caused an explosion that could be seen island-wide!

As everybody raced far away from the source of the explosion, they shielded their eyes as smoke was cast throughout the island. When the smoke cleared, they opened their eyes to find that there was nothing left but clear sky, pristine waters, and the occasional shards of shrapnel.

"Looks like our work here's done, guys!" Chihiro proclaimed as she watched several gillpeople in official-looking uniforms loaded the now tied-up trolls onto a large boat, "Time to go home."

With a wide smirk on her face, Chihiro brushed her hands clear of any contamination and beamed back at Zap and Wham-Shell. The three of them then nodded to Gurglefin, who returned that nod with a beam.

Gurglefin then made that same distorted whistle he did earlier in the day and watched as Delilah sailed across the now decently-cleaner waters.

As they all walked up to Delilah, Delilah's plank positioned itself onto the ground and allowed them to board—which is what they did!

"Another successful mission!" Chihiro chirped as she rested her arms behind her head, "We stopped the trolls, saved the island… And most of all, we put another dent in Kaos's plans!"

"When you say it like that, it sounds so easy," Wham-Shell chuckled as all four of them got on-board and watched the plank recede.

As the plank receded, however, Chihiro frowned and leaned against the deck's railing.

"There is one thing I'm still wondering about, though…" Chihiro stood tall, clasped her hands against the railing and looked back at Wham-Shell, "Wham… What was all that stuff about you being a king and all about?"

Wham-Shell stood wide-eyed and frozen, as if he completely taken aback by her question, while Zap slapped a paw against his forehead. Zap then scooted over to Chihiro and pulled her over.

"Chi—" Zap said before Wham-Shell placed a hand on Zap's shoulder.

"It's alright, Zap," Wham-Shell said, his tone somewhat weaker than usual, "The clownfish's out of the anemone now—might as well tell her."

Zap hesitated for a moment, then slowly skidded away from Wham-Shell and Chihiro.

"You see, Chihiro." Wham-Shell stood next to Chihiro and gazed over the ocean, "Before I became a 'lander, I used to be the king of a land called Crustacea…"

§

_It started out a happy enough day—it was a wedding, actually._

_Wham-Shell—or Neptune, as everybody called him before he became a Skylander—was being wed to his wife and future queen. It was an arranged marriage, but one necessary now that he had taken the throne from his aging father._

_He had just walked down the isle, ready to start the ceremony when out of nowhere, the walls crumbled in on them! It started with small pieces of seashell masonry crumbling and falling atop his armored head. They were so small, in fact, that at first Neptune didn't even notice. __It wasn't until the sound of drilling noises were heard and a giant piece of masonry caved in from the ceiling and nearly crushed the wedding minister that the panic set in!_

_Then, everything dissolved into chaos—crustaceanoids screamed and made mad dashes for the wedding chapel's doors while the soldiers that guarded the entrances scrambled for their cutlasses and scabbards, but at the outside, there was nothing heard but the increasing sound of drills boring into the ground. It was like something out of a nightmare!_

"_Stay right there, sweetie," Neptune said as he paused to swim over to his bride and kiss her on the cheek, "I'll be right back."_

_And with that, Neptune swam over towards the bleachers, claimed his mace—a family heirloom passed down from his father—and made a mad dash for the battlegrounds. Then, when he slammed the chapel's doors open, he saw something he had only seen in his nightmares._

_The rough, sandy grounds of his kingdom were cracked and quaking and the whole kingdom seemed liked it was falling apart! Entire seascrapers toppled over like nothing more than sandcastles, buildings were crushed under the pressure of the drills, and if not the drills, then the quakes dragged them under while the citizens inside struggled to escape, the very sight of which set Wham-Shell's soul on fire with rage._

_And the guilty parties in charge of this monstrosity were giant, __**troll**__-piloted drills made specifically for unearthing oil deposits._

"_Soldiers, to arms! For Crustacea!" Neptune exclaimed as he drew his mace._

_His shouts were barely heard over the sound of the drills, but his message had got across—because every sergeant, every lieutenant, every private grabbed whatever weaponry they could find and attacked the drills, all in some noble hope to dent their progress._

_Neptune himself even joined in—he had rammed into the largest of the drills with his mace, but no matter how hard he rammed into them, he barely made a dent! And the others weren't much better of—not even their finest weaponry pierced through the cold, sturdy steel the drills were made of._

_And if that wasn't bad enough, trolls that piloted the drills from the inside quickly noticed their opposition and retaliated! Their drills sent out weaponry of all kinds—mostly guns and cannons— from the pilot's quarters, all giant and imposed and charged within seconds. Surely from within the safety of their machines the trolls smirked, for they knew they had the upper hand._

_And as the weapons fired, Neptune's eyes widened. He was completely frozen to the spot where he stood, unable to move away as a plasma blast charged inside one of the larger cannons._

_And as the cannons fired, the only sound heard over its charge was the sound of dying soldiers' screams and pleas for mercy, the cries that were silenced as they watched their king blown to the surface by troll weaponry._

_§_

_It seemed like hours before Neptune had regained consciousness, but when he did, he was weak and on the brink of joining his ancestors. The only thing that kept him alive was the sound of two troll commanders that discussed some kind of issue among themselves._

"_Report, sir!" demanded a troll commander as Neptune struggled to awaken—but he felt like he could barely open his eyelids._

_**Look at yourself, **__Neptune__ thought to himself, __**Some king you are! You can't even open your eyes, **__**meanwhile**__** your people are dying to save their kingdom!**_

_Then, Neptune's eyes snapped open._

_**Enough is enough.**__**I am**__** not going to sit around and watch like a helpless barnacle as my kingdom gets destroyed! **__Neptune groaned and heaved himself up, surely more well in his mind than body, __**No, I'll stand and fight!**_

_Within a few moments his eyes cleared and he gained an idea of his surroundings. __It looked like he was in some kind of machine, with nothing but metal, metal, everywhere he looked! Well, minus the two trolls in front of him, who quickly noticed that their prisoner was awake._

"_The prisoner's awake, Joe!" shouted the first troll, a large, green troll with more warts than teeth, towards his smaller, orange buddy, "Go get him!"_

"_But, you're the big guy! Why can't you do the dirty work yourself?!" shouted Joe, who was clearly unamused._

_**Now's my chance! **__Neptune thought as he watched the trolls argue among themselves._

_While they were lost in their fight, Neptune crawled towards his mace, which had been strewn a few feet aside, as quietly as he could. This was his only chance—he had to take it!_

"_I'm telling you, it won't kill you to deal with the prisoner! Why do I gotta do it?" Joe exclaimed._

"_Because I outrank you," Bob retorted with a scoff and a pompous tone, "Now go get him before he—"_

"_Before I __**what**__?!" Neptune hissed as he stood, mace in hand and now with every intention of kicking some tail._

_Both trolls stared at Neptune while he approached them with every intention of causing harm, before they broke into a panic and flailed about! They ran all around and collected every weapon in their arsenal, then tried to aim them all at Neptune. But, they had little success—they were so panicked that they could barely even hold one tiny gun, least of all their entire weaponry!_

_Then, Neptune ran forwards, smashed through the weapons arsenal with his mace and left little trace of it behind him. And as Bob and Joe stood trembling, Neptune grabbed his mace and thrust it into the center of the weapons control panel!_

_Sparks of all kinds flied from its base as Bob and Joe gasped, their pupils so tiny they were practically specks._

"_Retreat, retreat!" Bob squealed, as the two frantically piled over each other to escape._

_Neptune stared in pride, then smirked as he decided that he was going to have a little fun of his own. With no hesitation he followed them to where they were running off—it wasn't hard, after all, the two were in such a frenzy that they had no idea they were being followed!_

_A short trip led him to the head communications room that sent out orders to every single one of the drillers. It was filled to its brims with screens that depicted their other drilling units and flashing red lights, but the cherry on top was the giant, mechanical panel that was surely their communications unit._

_As they turned on the communications unit and readied themselves to deliver a message of retreat, Neptune grasped his mace even tighter than before and watched as Joe began prodding Bob._

"_C'mon Bob, hurry up!" Joe exclaimed with so much sheer panic in his voice it could rival a nervous porcupine fish, "I want to get back to Lord Kaos in one piece!"_

"_Don't worry, Joe, I'll reel in the troops as fast as I can!" Bob shot back as he clearly tried his best not to crack under the pressure._

_Then, Joe was tapped on the shoulder, turned around and found himself staring into the face of Neptune!_

_Neptune waved, then punched Joe in the face—which rendered Joe unconscious before he could even shout a simple warning. Neptune then thwacked Bob upon the head with his mace and started up the communications device with a push of a button._

_The device itself wasn't that fancy—it was literally a giant walkie-talkie, but with a button instead of a knob. Easy enough to use._

"_Attention all troll forces!" Neptune proclaimed with a snide tone of voice, "We have received word that your leader has decided to, uh, do something else, so, stop drilling and retreat!"_

_And with that, Neptune ended the transmission before he ran out of the room and dashed towards the exit. Luckily enough, he quickly found his wish—a metal door left wide-open, probably courtesy of the trolls. He immediately dashed outside, ran onto the sands of a nearby island, and breathed in the fresh air!..._

_Except it wasn't fresh._

_It reeked of oil and death._

_As he felt the worst feeling, Neptune dove downwards, swam down to where his kingdom was, but found his worst nightmare in front of him of him instead._

_His kingdom was reduced to crumbling ruins! The corpses of his people littered the broken earth and floated in the somber seas, the many beautiful buildings were just nothing more than piles of sea-rubble, and everything… Everyone… Surely they were all gone._

_Neptune was now overwhelmed with the worst kind of feeling, the kind that only allowed him to swim down to the sands he once stepped on and curl up in a ball._

_So taken by grief, he buried his face in his palms as he cried._

_After all, he had just lost his home, his family, his people…_

_He lost everything._

§

Wham-Shell gazed over at the deep blue waters of the fresh ocean before him, before he heaved a tired sigh and leaned against the deck's railing. He was surrounded by a sort of somber feeling as the tale came to a close, his eyes glazed over with the soft evening light.

"So that's what happened…" Chihiro whispered before she drew closer to Wham-Shell and rested her hand on his.

Wham-Shell's eyes trailed up to her, but quickly diverted back to the water in front of him. With a grunt, he made a nod and looked away.

"All I could find after that battle were their corpses. I may have been able to save myself, but I couldn't save my people," Wham-Shell reflected as his mouth finally dipped into a solemn, almost regretful frown, "What kind of a king am I?"

"Wham…" Chihiro frowned as she rested her cheek against her arm. He seemed so sad…

"You did everything you could've, dude," Zap said as he slid over to Wham-Shell and gently wrapped a leg around Wham-Shell's shoulders.

With a gentle look in her eyes, Chihiro moved her hand from Wham-Shell's hand to his shoulder in a gentle, almost gingerly manner.

"Zap's right, Wham," Chihiro said as she nodded in agreement, "I'm sure you did all that you could've to stop them."

"And yet it still wasn't enough," Wham-Shell croaked as he tightened his grip on the deck's railing.

Chihiro only frowned as she glazed over him once more.

"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?" Chihiro asked as she watched Wham-Shell make a slight nod, "Thought as much—that's a lot of stuff for one person to deal with."

Chihiro then faced forwards, inhaled and exhaled.

"Wham…" Chihiro gave the ocean before her a stolidly gaze, then turned back to Wham-Shell, "I can't act like I completely understand what you've gone through, but…"—Chihiro breathed in and made a gentle smile as she stared at Wham-Shell—"I'll always be here for you!"

"Chihiro's right!" Zap gurgled as he gently nudged his head against Wham-Shell's free hand, "They may be gone, but you'll always have me and Chi and all the other 'landers… And no matter what, we'll always be there for you, dude! So don't feel like you gotta deal with all that stuff alone, alright?"

Wham seemed stoic for a few moments, then breathed in as the tension and gloom around him released.

"I guess you're right… Zap, Chihiro," Wham-Shell said as he wiped a tear away from his eye and smiled, "When did you kids get so smart?"

"I've always been super smart, what're you talking about?" Zap chuckled as he cast Wham-Shell a teasing glare.

"Now I wouldn't say that…" Wham-Shell's weak smile turned to a weak smirk as he clearly got ready to recall some of Zap's less than stellar moments.

"C'mon, Wham." Zap stuck out his tongue, "I—OOF!"

Zap and Wham-Shell let out surprised shouts as Chihiro wrapped them both in a tight hug, then without even thinking they all broke into relieved laughter—as if all the pain and heartache they felt washed away in the ocean waves…


	9. Chapter 9

**Woo, next chapter! Also, after this chapter ends there will be an important announcement regarding CHS' future—be sure to read it!**

**Watch Seeker: Well, you were close! We've still got a little bit before the Eternal Water Source—but not that much! And I like Chi as a nickname too!**

**BlackGame: Thank you! I actually do have plans for those characters, but since it involves some major spoilers for later parts of the fic I can't really say much other than that~**

* * *

The odds seemed against her—Chihiro was backed into a corner on the small, grassy island she was on with nowhere to run—everywhere around here, there was nothing but sky and blank space. And in front of her…

Was none other than Kaos. His rippling muscles flexed with power, his red eyes glowed bright as they glared straight into Chihiro's soul, his long, dark hair flowed in what little wind they had, and his pristine white fangs shined against the light as his whole person radiated with evil power. Behind him, he had what seemed like his entire armada of trolls, chompies, and whatever else he may have had—all lead against one little portal master.

It was either fight or die—and Chihiro wasn't picking that last option.

"You know, Kaos, there are two things I'm good at—playing video games, and kicking butt," Chihiro said as she cracked her knuckles, "And we're not playing any games here."

Kaos was entirely silent. Instead, he opted to conjure blackish-purple flames from his hands and toss them one by one at Chihiro—but she dodged every one as lucidly and flawlessly as one could! With a mighty cry of battle, Chihiro raced forwards and clocked Kaos right in the kisser! He let out a shout of utter pain as he reeled back from Chihiro's assault, but she wasn't giving up yet! Instead, Chihiro conjured up giant magic spheres and tossed them straight into Kaos's chest!

As Kaos disgracefully fell onto his back, he growled and pointed at Chihiro—a silent command his armada understood well. They all launched themselves at Chihiro, weapons and fists alike all bared and ready to fight!

But with a snap of her fingers, Chihiro evaporated them all in a beam of aqua light! It was just her and Kaos now. The two of them stared each other down, venom in both parties' eyes and silence abound.

"You're not gonna get away this time, Kaos!" Chihiro exclaimed as she sprung forwards and dashed towards Kaos with all the energy she could muster.

But as she ran, the world seemed to crumble underneath her feet! Cracks appeared in the crust of the island, entire chunks slowly broke off—and soon enough, the entire island completely fell apart!

Kaos merely disappeared as Chihiro kept falling and falling! There was no way! This couldn't be happening! She was so close to defeating him, just so close, but it had to be snagged away from her yet again!

"Chihiro! Chihiro!" was the last thing she heard as everything went black.

§

"Chihiro, wake up! You've got patrols to send out!" Spyro shouted as he shook Chihiro's sleeping body.

"No, no, Kaos, you're not getting 'way this time," Chihiro groaned as she turned and waved her hand in Spyro's face, "Just give me five more minutes, Spyro, I'm beatin' Kaos."

"In Chihiroland, maybe, but here in the real world, we need you to get up so we can take care of these portals." Spyro rolled his eyes as he watched Chihiro continue to peacefully snooze away, "Okay, that's it!"

With a grunt Spyro yanked Chihiro's blanket off the bed and watched as she was tossed into the air!

Chihrio let out a shout of surprise as her eyes shot wide open and she stayed suspended in midair for all of five seconds… Then she promptly landed face-first onto the ground.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" Chihiro's head swerved up to meet Spyro's gaze, "Next time, find a better way to wake me up."

"Next time, maybe you should actually wake up on time." Spyro took to the skies and flew out of Chihiro's room, "Come on, we've got work to do!"

"Geez, Spyro." Chihiro shook her head, stretched out her arms and gave Spyro a pout as she walked out of the bedroom.

Spyro paused and playfully rolled his eyes, then smiled and flew off. With a pound of his wings he darted out of the building like a bullet while Chihiro chased behind him, her eyes wide and her smile even wider.

For moments, everything seemed right with the world. Spyro broke a smile for the first time since he recovered from that nasty cold, the wind was so fresh without a manner of chilling nature, the autumn leaves cascaded over Spyro and Chihiro in such a carefree manner… As Chihiro chased Spyro over to the heart of the island, however, the air turned grim and cold.

Chihiro stopped in her tracks and found that most everybody was bustling around with an eerie silence except for Hugo, who stood right in the center of everything and ready to greet.

"Chihiro, you're awake!" Hugo chirped as he clasped his paws.

"And just in time for patrols, too!" Chihiro beamed as she gave Hugo a thumbs up.

Hugo nodded, then pulled a paper list out of his pocket and handed it over to Chihiro.

"Wait." Chihiro frowned as she gazed over at the list and then at Hugo. "You're not coming with?"

"Well, I'd happily do so, but I've run into a little problem." Hugo sighed and looked over the Far-Viewer, which was still as rusty as ever.

"It is an alien invasion from beyond the stars?" Chihiro's eyes glistened wide and eager.

"What would give you that idea?" Hugo he shook his head, "I've just been looking for the next part of the Core of Light, except the Far-Viewer is incredibly rusty and won't turn past a certain point. I need to get some oil for it, but unfortunately there's no oil around here—I'll have to send someone out to fetch some."

"So?…" Chihiro's shoulders slumped and her mouth went agape, "That's it? No rats, no doomsnakes, no giant hamsters of the apocalypse? You just need to get some oil for a giant telescope?"

"Exactly," Hugo nodded and smiled.

"I don't know whether I should be glad or disappointed." Chihiro's eye twitched for a moment, then she looked down at the list of patrols and beamed. As she made an excited noise, Chihiro turned around and presented the list to Spyro and Hugo.

"Yes, it's a patrol assignment list, what about it?" Spyro asked as he glazed over the list and sighed, "Island duty, again?…"

"No, no, look at the bottom!" Chihiro exclaimed as she rapidly tapped a patrol listed as the very bottom of the list, "I get to go on a mission!"

Chihiro looked back at the list and beamed—there, listed near the bottom of the paper under the mission "Search for more info on Fairy Kingdom" were four people—Hex, Dark Spyro, Double Trouble… And Chihiro herself!

"I gotta go, guys, I've got a mission to go on!" Chihiro stuffed the list into her pocket and dashed off to the portal building as she made a peace sign back at them, "Later!"

As Hugo and Spyro watched her, Spyro heaved a sigh and flew in place.

"Spyro, island duty is just as important as—"

"Yeah, I know," Spyro said as he made a weak, understanding smile that quickly turned to a frown, "But I was sick for so long, I should be out making up for lost time! For all I know, Kaos could've—"

"Spyro, you can't help getting sick, can you?" Hugo asked as he looked up at Spyro, then made a smile as Spyro reluctantly shook his head, "I thought not, now—"

Then, they were all interrupted by an awful, awful noise akin to the sound of metal grinding and a screech that was like nails on a chalkboard at max volume! Both Hugo and Spyro let out exclamations of shock before they immediately cover their ears.

"What is that noise?" Spyro shouted, barely able to take the earache.

"What was that? I didn't hear you!" Hugo shouted back.

"What is that noise?" Spyro repeated.

"Why are you talking about matted toys?"

"Oh, I'll find out myself." Spyro then groaned and flew out of the group.

With a tilt of his head, he flew down to the beach's staircase, all while the torches flared up in a rainbow of colors—though he didn't have the mind to pay attention to it because all the noise completely took up his head.

"What the heck is going on down here?" Spyro asked as he turned the stairs and gazed over at the beach.

There, much to her surprise, was a seafoam green-colored gillperson! They were dressed in all sorts of rubber, orange mechanic clothes and were working on some kind of strange machine, all while a rusty red toolbox sat next to them on the sand.

"Excuse me?" Spyro asked, "Who are you?"

No response—the gillperson just kept on working.

Spyro groaned as his mouth dipped into a deep frown.

"EXCUSE ME!" Spyro glared over at the gillperson, then finally flew up to their side.

"EXCUSE ME!"

The gillperson jolted up in their place, then turned around and faced Spyro.

"Alright, alright, no need to shout!" the gillperson exclaimed, their voice akin to that of someone gargling water, "What is it?"

"Who are you?" Spyro tilted his head and frowned, while his eyes flashed purple as he readied his magic—just in case.

"Oh, right, you must be one of the Skylanders!" The gillperson nodded and knelt before Spyro, "My name's Gurglefin—your teammates saved my home from being taken over by trolls."

"No need to bow, it's all in a day's work." Spyro leaned over and eyed the machine next to Gurglefin as the magic he charged slowly vanished, "Next question—what is that machine, exactly?"

"Oh, this!" Gurglefin stretched his scaly arms out and presented the machine with a proud grin, "This is a gift I present on behalf of my people, as a thank you for freeing us from Kaos's control. It's called the Oil Donkey!"

"Oil donkey?" Spyro made a confused frown. Who in Skylands thought that was a good name?

"We didn't name it, I swear." Gurglefin shook his head, then beamed as he presented the machine once more, "What it does is simple, yet efficient—it synthesizes common liquids like water into bona fida fossils fuels—namely, oil!"

"How surprisingly convenient, we actually needed some oil! Thank's a lot, Gurglydin!"

"… It's Gurglefin."

"My bad." Spyro grabbed the handle attached to the device and cranked it, "So, how's it work?"

However Spyro cranked it a little too hard, which caused oil to gush out in one giant stream right on his face! Spyro let out garbled shouts of surprise as the oil splashed him then pouted as the stream ended—and revealed that he was covered in oil down to the neck.

"Like that." Gurglefin barely suppressed a chuckle or two, "You crank the handle, get a container, put it in front of the pipe, and you've got your oil!"

"Thanks for the tip, but I think I can manage." Spyro wiped the oil off of his face, tuned everyone else out, then began cranking… And cranking, and cranking…

"Surely that's gotta be enough, right?" Spyro asked as he peered inside the oil canister placed at the base of the Oil Donkey…

Somehow, only a drop had gotten inside.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Spyro gazed inside the container with utter disbelief before he hung his head, "This is gonna be a long day."

§

It had taken her nearly two hours, but Chihiro's mission had ended—quite well, too, if she said so herself! With an ever-present beam on her face, Chihiro hopped off of the ship and onto the familiar crunchy grass of the island's heart, then watched as her teammates from the mission joined her.

"Mannnnnnn," Whined a voice that sounded kinda like a more scratchy version of Spyro's as someone else flew up beside her, "That took WAY too long."

Chihiro looked to her side, and found that beside her was a dragon who looked near-identical to Spyro in terms of body—their only differences were in colors, for this dragon was black and silver as opposed to Spyro's striking purple and gold. Even their crimson-colored eyes held a level of mischief that Spyro's lacked.

"Now I wouldn't say that, Dark," Chihiro chuckled as she made a smug grin, "It flew by if you asked me! But then again, time flies when you're having fun~"

"Fun?" Dark looked up at Chihiro with the most utterly disbelieving of looks, as if she had spoken in an entirely different language.

"C'mon, admit it—wasn't it fun to chase those cyclopes around and torch their butts?"

Dark snorted and looked up at Chihiro with a grin encapsulated on his face.

"Yeah, got me there."

"How'd you even get your fire breath so hot, anyways?" Chihiro tilted her head, "I could probably feel it from halfway across the island!"

Dark only yanked a couple giant, crimson-colored peppers out of nowhere—one of which had a noticeably large bite taken out of it.

"Snagged these babies from Eon's garden~" Dark closed his eyes and took a proud stance, "They were supposed to be for pranks, but hey! Whatever wor—"

"SO YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE THOSE PEPPERS FROM THE GARDEN!" Shouted a voice with a trill and a noticeable Spanish accent from half a mile over.

"CRAP!" Dark's eyes shot wide open as he jumped up and shot through the skies like a rocket, "GOTTA JET!"

As Chihiro watched him become little more than a speck in the autumn skies, she shrugged and pulled something out of her pocket—a map made of yellowing paper with crudely drawn illustrations and the title "Map to the Fairy Kingdom." As she looked over its humble page, she couldn't help but beam—surely this would help with their ongoing mission some, and SHE was the one to find it! Being able to help out sure gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling…

"Huugo~" Chihiro swung around the corner and stumbled onward to where Hugo and Spyro were having a conversation.

"Yes, Chihiro?" Hugo asked with a wide grin before his eyes fell onto the map in Chihiro's hands, "What exactly is that?"

"This?" Chihiro repeated as she held up the map, "THIS could very well be the map to the Fairy Kingdom that we've been looking for!"

Chihiro then handed the map along to Hugo, who unfolded it, glazed over its surface for a few moments and beamed even wider as he stuffed it back into his pocket.

"That's great news, Chihiro!" Hugo clapped his paws and contently closed his eyes, "I'll pass it along to Persephone and see what she has to say!"—Hugo then opened his eyes and turned back to the Far-Viewer—"And that's not the only good news we have, either!"

"Really? What?" Chihiro clasped her hands and made a soft squeal of excitement.

"Thanks to Spyro and Gurglefin's efforts, we were able to get oil for the Far-Viewer!" Hugo then waddled up to the Far-Viewer and toyed with it for a few moments before he looked back at Chihiro, "And I was able to locate the Twin Spouts of Ocea-Major-Minor!"

"Great!" Chihiro's smile fell to a confused, neutral look as she placed a finger to the corner of her mouth, "What are these twin spouts of Osha-Maejo-Maino or whatever?"

"They're the only vessel that can house the Eternal Water Source." Hugo then took a breath, "And, as you can guess, the next part of the Core of Light! They're made from the finest of gold, forged with the scales of the fearsome Leviathan, all combined with the most powerful of Water magic—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's nice and all." Chihiro nodded her head vigorously and pushed Hugo aside to sneak a quick peek from the Far-Viewer, "So, where is it?"

"See, that's where the problem lies." Hugo pushed his glasses up and joined Chihiro at the Far-Viewer's lens.

Chihiro had expected to find the Twin Spouts in some kind of cavern hidden behind a waterfall, or in a sea monster's treasure stash—heck, maybe even in an old coral reef—but no. They were standing high on a stone pedestal that was guarded by two burly-looking pirates within a cove covered in overgrown vines and murky, dark waters that was lit only by the light of a passing lantern. It kinda looked a bit like those pirate movies Chihiro had seen ads for on TV ever other second of the day. Well, on second thought maybe that wasn't _too _unexpected for something like that…

"So, it's a little dark and murky. That's never stopped us before, right?" Chihiro looked perfectly optimistic as she looked over towards a more pessimistic Hugo.

"That's not the problem, Chihiro." Hugo shook his head and frowned as he peered into the lens once more, a fearful trill in his voice, "This place is Dark Water Cove! It's rumored to house the largest underground pirate trade in all Skylands. Some of the biggest, baddest pirates are said to lurk here on a weekly basis!"

"Well then, we'll just have to take it away from them, by force if we need to!" Chihiro's eyes widened for a moment as she gained a determined look, "Who's with me?!"

"And, not to mention there's some kind of magic there that completely blocks it off from the portal networks." Hugo grabbed the back of Chihiro's jacket before she could bolt off like she usually did, "I'm not even sure how we'll get there!"

"You said Gurglefin was here, right?" Chihiro wormed out of Hugo's grasp and looked down as he nodded, "I'm sure I could talk him into sailing the 'Landers there!"

"Then I'll go round up the other Skylanders!" Spyro said as he gave Chihiro an ever-knowing smile and flew off.

"Wait for me, Golden Boy!" Chihiro shouted as she waved at Spyro, then turned around and gave Hugo an ever-excited look.

"Good luck with those pirates," Hugo said as he coughed into his hand.

Chihiro just stared at an invisible audience and shrugged her shoulders, an ever-clueless look on her face.

"Geez, what's his deal?"

§

"Alrighty," Chihiro chirped as she stretched her arms to the skies and grinned, "Gill, Zapster, you got the plan?"

"Sneak into the pirate dudes' hideout, take back the Twin Spouts and get home before dinner?" Zap relayed as he slid in front of Chihiro and flipped into the air, "You bet'cha!"

Chihiro giggled as she watch Zap land perfectly on his feet, then gave him a thumbs up.

"Alrighty then! See you guys later!"

"Actually, young Chihiro," Echoed a familiar, wise voice from behind the trio, "I'd like for you to accompany them."

Chihiro jolted up, then turned around and found Master Eon behind her! With wide eyes she made a humble bow then stood straight.

"Really?"

Master Eon bobbed up and down.

"You've gone on quite a lot of missions and have greatly honed your skills in these past couple days." Master Eon made a slightly brighter glow as he looked over Chihiro, "I believe that as of now, you are ready for your next Portal Master Exam—and this would be the perfect test!"

Chihiro made a sharp gasp as she clasped her hands over her mouth and her eyes sparkled, then bounced up and down and nodded.

"I won't let you down, Master Eon!" Chihiro chirped as she grabbed Zap's paw and Gill's fin, "Come on, guys, you heard the ghost! We've got a mission!"

With an eager squeal Chihiro dashed down the staircase before anyone could even blink, then dug into her heels as soon as her feet hit the sand. Her next exam was finally here! Who could possibly wait?!

Chihiro placed a hand over her eyes as she spun around and scouted the island, then caught wind of a familiar Gillman as he packed up his tools.

"GUR-GLE-FIN!" Chihiro shouted as she waved over to Gurglefin, who caught sight of her and waved back.

"I have a question~" Chihiro spun forwards until she was right beside Gurglefin, "Would you happen to know where Dark Water Cove is?"

Just hearing that very name sent Gurglefin's scales on edge as he jolted and froze in place, while his toolbox fell out of his hands and onto the crusty sands of the beach.

"… I'll take that as a yes?"

"D, d… Dark Water Cove?" Gurglefin sputtered, his eyes wide as dinner plates, "You mean the island that's a regular fishing spot for some of the biggest, baddest pirates in all of Skylands?"

"Yeah?…"

"There's no way I'm going there!" Gurglefin gulped and turned around, "They'll have me for dinner!"

"Gurglefin, please!" Chihiro fell to her knees and bowed as pleadingly as possible, "We need to get there to get the Core of Light's next part, and we have no others options! Please? Pretty please?"

Gurglefin winced, then turned around—and promptly saw Chihiro look up as him with the most pleading, most desperate puppy-dog eyes she could muster and the most certain frown on her face.

"Please, please, please?" Chihiro croaked, "For the Core of Light?"

Gurglefin gulped, then chuckled and awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Well, if it's that important I guess I could make an exception…" Gurglefin sighed and prompted his whistle, "I'll take you there, but keep me out of all the heroics! I've had enough excitement for my entire life!"

"Sure can do! Just leave all the exploring and bad guy butt-kicking to us!" Chihiro sprung up tall and chopped the air, her desperate expression now abound with energy.

With a warped whistle from Gurglefin, Delilah came sailing into the docks and lowered her plank! Her wood was sturdy as ever, though the colors of her ship seemed bright and fresh—had she been painted recently?

Chihiro shrugged it off as she skipped up the plank and gazed over the deck's railing. This was it, her next exam, the one she had so impatiently awaited! And to boot, she would be helping with the Core of Light, too! What could possibly be a higher honor?mBut, it was also a big responsibility too—if she messed up even once, then who knows how it could affect everyone? Chihiro's cheery gaze soured as she peered down at the oceans while a new wave of anxiety cascaded over her mind. Was she really ready for this?

"Chi, is something bothering you?" Gill Grunt asked as he walked up to Chihiro and laid a webbed hand on her shoulders.

"I'll be fine, Gill," Chihiro remarked as she noted his concerned look and loosened up, "You know you don't need to worry about me!"

"Are you sure?" Gill Grunt gently ruffled her head, "You seem more anxious about this than a school of fish in the path of a Leviathan!"

"That's ridiculous, I'm not anxious!" Chihiro forced herself to shoot out a laugh, though it sounded more awkward than cheery, "Nope, not at all! I'm so calm, in fact, I'm the picture of calmness right now!"—Chihiro then frowned and looked over the ship's deck—"Wait, aren't we forgetting someone?"

Chihiro made a couple more awkward laughs, only to hear the sound of a receding bridge and look down to find that Delilah's plank was being drawn back in—and Zap was a good ways away!

"Zap, hurry up!" Chihiro waved towards the blue speck she was sure was Zap, "The boat's gonna leave without you!"

Zap stayed stagnant for all of a few seconds more, then as the plank was halfway to its hiding spot Zap zoomed across the beach, fast as lightning, and made a giant leap off the docks! His form slowly became more and more visible… Wait, actually, he was getting a little too visible!

"ZAP, WATCH OUT!"

Chihiro screamed, but it was too late—Zap had already barreled into her and sent them both rolling into the ship's flagpole! They both moaned with pain they quickly shook off as they staggered back up, then laughed to themselves.

As the plank finally receded, the three of them looked over the deck and frowned.

"First of all, we're gonna need a disguise," Chihiro remarked, "Just so we won't attract suspicion."

"What's there to suspect?" Zap gargled as he shrugged his front legs—or at least tried, "They're pirates, dudette. They're all thieves and stuff—"

"They might not, but for all we know Kaos's cronies could be lurking around." Chihiro made a firm nod to exemplify her point, "And we'd definitely stick out to them, so disguises are a must…"—Chihiro then struck a dramatic pose as she closed her eyes—"We need something… _Authentic_! Something _real_! Something that makes you look at it and go—"

"Hey, that's a pirate!" Gill Grunt shouted as he turned around.

"Yeah, like that!" Chihiro chirped as she followed Gill Grunt's gaze, "Wait, that's not a pirate, that's Gurglefin!"

Gurglefin then popped out from behind the steering wheel. He looked no different than he did before, save for the giant black pirate hat he now wore on his scaly, wet head.

"Heh, I thought I'd get into the spirit of things," Gurglefin chuckled as he thrust his arm, "Ahoy, mateys!"

In the process however, he also spun the steering wheel so much that it caused Delilah to veer into a hard right! With a surprised gasp he grabbed hold of steering wheel and quickly spun it back, then breathed a sigh of relief as Delilah veered back on track… Only to shout out once more as Chihiro leaned on the wheel!

"So, where'd you find that?" Chihiro gave Gurglefin a curious gaze as he frantically turned the wheel back.

"There's a whole school of pirate costumes back there." Gurglefin pointed to a door located behind the steering wheel, "It came with the ship."

"Alrightly then!" Chihiro beamed, ushered Gill Grunt and Zap over then opened the door, "Let's get some disguises!"

And with that said, Zap and Gill Grunt ran towards the disguise room! Chihiro slammed the door shut as they arrived, and for only moments all that could be heard was ocean waves and shuffling noises from within the closet. As they waited, Zap tapped his forepaws while Gill Grunt toyed with his rubber wristbands.

"Arr, mateys!" Chihiro shouted as she slammed the door back open, "Ye be ready to witness the birth of Captain Chihiro Hatsuki?"

As soon as Chihiro walked back out, Zap's eyes widened and he skated to her side.

Chihiro's old outfit had been changed out for a black pirate captain's hat with a red sash tied to its base and a skull and crossbones pasted onto the front in while felt, a red vest with golden trim, a frilled, long-sleeved white blouse, a red fabric belt, brown trousers with red and gold felt patches and black heeled boots! To top things off, she even wore a black felt eyepatch over her right eye and held a toy cutlass by her leg!

"So, what do you—I mean, _ye_—think?" Chihiro asked as she spun around and beamed, "Do I make a good pirate or what?"

"Heck yeah you do, dude!" Zap exclaimed with rapid nods, "My turn!"

And with that, Zap slid into the dressing room and slammed the door shut, then after a few moments he emerged with a red-and-white polka dot bandanna tied to his head and a brown eyepatch over his eye.

"Looking sharp, matey Zap!" Chihiro gave him a thumbs up and smiled, before she grabbed Gill Grunt and tossed him into the room, "Now it's your turn, Gill!"

Gill Grunt let out a startled scream as the door slammed shut behind him, then all went silent for a few moments. After a while, soft rustling sounds were heard from the other side before the door slowly creaked open. When the door finally opened in full, Gill Grunt slowly stepped out and revealed that he now donned a red felt sash that was tied around his head, a dark brown vest, a black belt decorated with a silver buckle shaped like a steering wheel and brown trousers.

"And you look great too, first mate Gill Grunt!" Chihiro chirped as she thrust her fake cutlass to the skies, "Now, who's ready to retrieve the Twin Spouts?"—Chihiro pushed her cutlass forward a second time for emphasis—"Say aye-aye!"

"Aye-aye!" They all shouted at once as they raised their fists towards the crystal-clear skies.

And with a smug smile, Chihiro closed her eyes and slowly rested her cutlass back at her hip. Just then, she heard the sound of rushing water and bit her lip as she looked over Delilah's side to find—oh no.

They had reached the end of the island.

"Hold on to something, guys." Chihiro clung to a nearby stairwell as she spoke, "It's a long drop!"

"What's a long—" Gill Grunt asked before the ship lurched forward and he rolled forward in response, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Gill Grunt grunted as she slammed headfirst into the flagpole and clung to it tight as Delilah plummeted further and further down… Then shot out giant white sails and flew up and up!

"Oh, by the way, Delilah's an all-terrain ship!" Chihiro chirped as she stumbled away from the stairwell.

"… I can see that." Gill Grunt groaned and flopped down onto the deck.

§

All was quiet as Delilah bobbed through the ocean waves, which reflected warm shades of orange and yellow and pink thanks to the evening light. There was nothing around but sky and ocean, sky and ocean, more sky and ocean, the occasional seagull or two—and Chihiro was so, so _bored _of it.

"Are we there yet?" Chihiro asked as she pressed her cheek against the deck's railing.

"We aren't any closer than we were the last five times you asked," Gurglefin groaned as he yawned and shook his head.

"But it's almost eveningggggg!" Chihiro moaned as she sat on the deck's floor, "It'll be midnight before we even get there!"

"Not quite." Gurglefin's voice droned on liked a tired, underpaid schoolteacher as he sailed further and further along, "Dark Water Cove's stuck in a never-ending night—that's why it got its name. Really, it's probably only been a few hours since…"

As Gurglefin droned on and on, Chihiro rolled her eyes and heaved herself back up. If she wanted a lecture, she would just go to Hugo. She then leaned against the deck railing once more, gazed out and the unchanging oceans and…

"Hey, wait!" Chihiro said as she pointed towards the horizon, "What's that?"

Gill Grunt and Zap rushed to her side and peered over to the object as well.

It looked to be a shadowy, large mass of… Something. They were too far away to get a good view at first, but now that they drew closer it kinda looked like… An open gate? Yes, a giant, open gate that lead in a dark, forested area! A bunch of pillars flanked each side of the gate, and as Delilah passed the seas to it the colors of the sky slowly shifted from warm to cool, orange to purple, red to blue, while milky white stars dotted the sky like rhinestones!

"We're here!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned further against the railing to get a better view.

The gate was giant and made of sturdy wood, while the pillars matched its height and were made of a similar material. Now that she had gotten closer, it looked like there were identical, huge spaces with round thingies in them—but what were those round thingies? Decorations? Cameras? Magical artifacts?

As Chihiro hummed and peered up at the pillars, the round objects slowly extended further and further, their forms barely visible through the torchlight. All was oddly peaceful as these vaselike objects left the pillars… Then…

"Wait a second, those kinda look like…"

BOOM!

All at once, the objects shot off giant, charcoal-colored steel balls and revealed their true nature at last!

"CARP, THEY'VE GOT ARTILLERY!" Gurglefin screamed as the sound of splitting wood echoed throughout the night.

"We've been hit!" Chihiro exclaimed back as she looked down at Delilah's base and winced—for there was now a giant hole in the side of the ship, and it was filling up with water fast!

With urgency in her eyes Chihiro looked up at Gurglefin.

"Gurglefin, see if you can get us out of here—I'll try and fix the hole!" Chihiro didn't stop to listen to everybody else's replies as she ran across the deck, located a door and flung it open!

Chihiro's breath was heavy as she snapped into existence a shimmering ball of light and dashed down a wooden flight of stairs. All around her, she heard the only barely-muffled sounds of cannons firing and cannonballs plopping into the water, which only intensified the pound of her heart.

"C'mon, c'mon, I've gotta be getting close by now!"

Just then, the ship lurched forward and Chihiro was sent rolling down the stairs! With a shrill scream she rolled down at the speed of light, then flew off the staircase and made a splash—literally! Her flight landed her straight in a giant pool of water!

Chihiro opened her eyes only to find them stung with something harsh and salty! She immediately swam up and caught her breath, then shook the water off her head. It was so, so, wet… Did she land in the ocean? As Chihiro wiped her eyes, she found herself in what appeared to be the inside of a ship's hull, complete with its wooden framing—except it had a giant, spiky hole in its side! From that hole, not only did harsh, salty seawater pour in and set all the barrels and crates that rested inside afloat, but you could clearly hear the clashes and crashes of combat from the outside. The cannonballs as they splashed in the water, the sound of shouts and commands…

"No, can't get distracted!" Chihiro shook her head and paddled over to the hole.

It seemed pretty big… But then again, it was had to tell when a good chunk of the ship was on its way to sinking—wait, what?!

Delilah groaned and creaked as she slowly slid onto her side—and in turn the ship started to cave in! Chihiro let out a cry of shock as she paddled closer towards the hole. Delilah was so big, Chihiro couldn't possibly lift her up to fix her—Chihiro would just have to wing it! With a grunt, Chihiro closed her eyes and rubbed her hands together.

"Hopefully this'll work…" Chihiro's eyes shot open as she thrust out her hands, her mind focused entirely on one thing—repairing the ship.

Her hands glowed a bright aqua that was incredibly striking against the midnight light—or lack thereof—then the blue glow jumped out from her hands and surrounded the hole!

Chihiro panted as she watched the hole glow, then a sticking sound was heard as a giant bandage made of magic energy manifested right where the hole was. The sound of rushing water slowed to a stop as Delilah pulled herself upright, while Chihiro heaved a sigh of relief… Then looked around and saw that she was still adrift in a giant sea of captured ocean water.

"How am I supposed to get rid of all this?" Chihiro moaned as she hung her head, then looked up and saw a wooden barrel float right past her… Followed by two… Then five…

"I've got it!" Chihiro swam over to a barrel and grabbed onto it, then magically popped open its top and found that it was empty! With a beam she clapped her hands and watched the top pop right back on.

"Alright, now…" Chihiro snapped her fingers and watched as the barrels that floated around her were enveloped in a cyan glow, "Barrels, get big!"

The barrels then expanded until they were several times their original size and just barely fit within the ship's hull.

"Now scoop up all this water!"

One by one, the barrels popped their tops open and scooped up all the bitter ocean water that had poured into the ship, until there was nothing left but about a foot or so of water that Chihiro could easily walk through. When the job was done, the barrels returned to their original sizes and fell to the floor with a loud clunk.

Chihiro beamed as she admired her work… But only for a few seconds. As she stood and basked in the now notably-more dry hull of the ship, the sounds of battle echoed from a floor up! The shing of unsheathed swords, the shout of battle cries and accusations, and the thump of pounding footsteps all made a chaotic symphony that caused Chihiro to jump.

"Sounds like I'm needed upstairs," Chihiro remarked as she snapped her fingers and teleported back to the top of the stairs.

"Oof!" Chihiro let out a squeal of pain as she hit the top stair head-first before she staggered up and shook the water off her person, "Note to self—work on those landings."

Chihiro jiggled open the door as the noises grew louder, then peered outside and gasped!

There, the ship had been completely surrounded by what other than pirates! On the deck were pirates of all kinds—mangy seadogs who wore tattered jackets and shirts, all with weaponry in hand and teeth bared, muscular, anthropomorphic squids who held giant cannons in their tattooed, bulky arms, even a couple imps in bandannas. Meanwhile, the waters were filed with armed, giant pirate ships that were certainly of a much more impressive nature than humble Delilah. There was no means of escape.

And in the center of it all, Gurglefin, Gill Grunt and Zap were back-to-back as they glared down the pirates. Gurglefin was shaking so hard that his scales would've probably come off right then and there if it was possible, but Zap and Gill Grunt were far more prepared. Zap's mouth sparkled with slight bits of electricity, and though it was hard to see with just torchlight it seemed as if Gill Grunt had his webbed finger on the trigger of his harpoon gun. Things would probably get ugly if someone didn't intervene…

"Ahoy, mateys!" Chihiro boomed as she jumped down to the deck and shifted through the crowd, "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Chihiro," Gill Grunt whispered as he nudged himself closer to Chihiro, "What are you—"

Chihiro gently elbowed Gill Grunt and winked at him before she faced the head of the mob—a seadog with mangy brown fur dressed in tattered pirate robes and a crimson-stained captain's hat who held a shiny cutlass. He was clearly a captain, going by attire—better watch herself.

"Ye wouldn't happ'n to be the captain of this here ship," The seadog hissed, his voice low yet growling and intimidating, "Would ye?"

"Aye!" Chihiro chirped as she rubbed a fist against her chest, "Name's Captain Cheerio the Bold! What might ye be here for?"

"What business do ye have in Dark Water Cove?" The seadog pointed his cutlass as Chihiro's throat.

Chihiro gulped, then chuckled and gently pushed the cutlass away.

"Why, me crew and I are here to check out the trade scene on this fine night!" Chihiro made a smile as she burrowed her hand into her jacket to veil its faint aqua glow—just in case.

"Ye don't seem like ye have much a crew, lad." The seadog tightened his grip on the cutlass, "Or much of a ship…"

"Eh, we're a start-up." Chihiro made a calm smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"But that begets the question—do ye got the goods?"

"Goods?" Chihiro's smile faded as she slightly tilted her head.

"We only provide the trade if ye provide the spoils, savvy?" The seadog rested his cutlass at the side, "Now, what pay do ye have to offer for yer crew's entry?"

Chihiro smirked, then withdrew her hand from her jacket to reveal a cyan-colored, opalescent jewel that shone in all the colors of the rainbow and then some! Her smirk widened as she watched a couple of the minor pirates ooh and aah, but the captain didn't seemed entirely convinced.

"A jewel from our booty." Chihiro nodded firmly as she pushed it towards the seadog, "Consider it a token of our acquaintance."

The seadog frowned as he looked over the jewel for a few seconds more, then he carefully took it from Chihiro's hand and placed it in the pocket of his coat.

"Very well then, lad." The seadog stepped aside while his comrades quickly followed, "Ye may peruse our goods."

"Aye aye!" Chihiro nodded, then looked back at the others and gave them a thumbs up.

With a smile, Chihiro walked down Delilah's plank, then watched as Gill Grunt and Zap dutifully followed behind while the pirates did the same—though oddly, Gurglefin was still boarded.

"Matey, aren't ye coming?" Chihiro shouted as she turned and looked at Gurglefin.

Gurglefin made a couple odd sputters, then coughed into his hand.

"Er, I—I mean, me needs to take care of ye olde Delilah here!" Gurglefin shouted back while his whole body trembled, "She took a couple heavy hitters!"

"Aye aye!" Chihiro waved back and watched over the docks once more.

The ships that had once surrounded them with their billowing flags and rigid masts slowly sailed off—save for the ones that had docked in to deliver stolen goods. To her side, Gill Grunt and Zap shot dirty looks at the pirates that surrounded them, looks the pirates only returned—seeing their scorning eyes made Chihiro's whole body tremble a bit.

_Geez, this is like walking through the hallways at school, _Chihiro thought as she tried her best to force an aura of calm and collection, _Except these guys are a lot more dangerous than my school bullies. Well, maybe._

"Why does yer matey talk so funny, Cap'n Cheerio?" Asked a seadog in a bandanna as they nudged Chihiro.

"He's new," Chihiro remarked as she looked over to the pirate, then cast an aside glance at the seadog captain she had conversed with prior.

That seadog captain whispered something to one of the dogs behind him, then looked over at Chihiro and cast her a glare that sent shivers down her spine. Yeah, better not pay too much attention to him.

So, Chihiro faced forward and walked into the heart of the jungle, Zap and Gill Grunt by her side…

§

"I'm guessing the Spouts are being held in the heart of the island, right?" Gill asked as he pushed through thick, leafy foliage.

"Yes, most likely," Chihiro replied as she gave him an earnest nod, then paused to look over the scenery.

They had shaken the pirates, thankfully, though it seemed as if they had gotten lost. Then again, it was quite hard to tell around here—there was nothing for miles but leaves and forests and well-worn dirt paths, and the blanket of midnight's darkness made things even more obscured.

"I wish I had a map or a compass or somethin'." Chihiro sighed and hung her head, only for it to jolt up a second later, "Oh, right!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers, then watched as a compass made of magic manifested in her slender palms. With a smile she held it out straight and watched as its arrow pointed towards the north, then beamed back at Gill Grunt and Zap.

"The arrow says north!" Chihiro hummed to herself as she marched along.

Gill Grunt and Zap only shrugged.

"Yo ho, yo ho, off to the Spouts we go~" Chihiro sang as she marched out of sight, "Me hearties on a mission, a very important mission, to retrieve the Spouts of the Ocean! Yo ho, yo ho, off to the Spouts we go…"

Gill Grunt chuckled to himself as he marched along to the tune of Chihrio's song, while Zap beamed and slid up to her side.

"Yo ho, yo ho, off to the Spouts we go!~" Chihiro and Zap sang in unison as they marched along in the dead of night.

Their bodies were filled with a youthful fervor as they sang at the top of their lungs to a crowd of themselves and near-identical foliage and bugs, with the jungle as their stage. But, would that fervor last?

"Me hearties on a mission!~" Chihiro started to pant as her marching slowed by a few paces,

"A very important mission…" Zap frowned as a leafy branch thwacked him in the face.

"To retrieve the Spouts of…" Chihiro looked over the scenery with quite a bit of concern, then fell to her knees and laid on her back, "Oh, forget it,"—Chihiro sat up and brushed the dust off her pants—"Guys, I think we've been walking in circles."

Chihiro looked at her compass, then frowned and chucked it into the leaves. As she heard a cat yowl in the distance, her frown deepened.

"Stupid compasses, I never understood how to use you guys anyways!" Chihiro stood up at last and surveyed the pathways before her, "Now what do we do?"

The three of them paused and contemplated things for a few moments, then sighed. Nope, not a single idea to be had.

Zap turned around and looked over, then tilted his head.

"Hey, guys, look!" Zap said as he slid over to Gill Grunt and nudged him, "Is it just me, or does it look like the forest's clearing up?"

Gill Grunt paused and examined the forest that surrounded them, as did Chihiro. Zap did have a point—the trees were a good bit lesser in numbers, as were the bushes, and you could more clearly see the torchlight that acted as a faint source of navigation around those parts.

"We must be getting close to the actual trade!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped up and down with a new energy.

"Then why are we waiting here? Come on, let's go—" Zap dashed off on a trail of slime until the familiar, screeching sound of a cannonball soaring through the air returned him to his friends' side in a flash, "Yeah, on second thought, staying here is cool."

Zap quivered, visibly shaken by the sudden cannonball, while Chihiro looked over at Zap.

Chihiro then frowned and prodded forwards while Gill Grunt and Zap followed her every step. The forest soon grew less and less prominent before it cleared entirely to reveal grassy hills with splintered wood, torn clothing scraps and occasional blood stains everywhere—like there had been some kind of fight… Ahead of them, one could hear the faint noises of war.

"What's all that?" Chihiro asked as she ran up to one of the hills to find a broken wooden fence with a giant gap in its center.

Chihiro looked a few paces over and then found a gate with a cracked golden lock strewn to the side of the hill, then shrugged and walked forward. The ground beneath her feet turned from grassy earth to hard wood as she walked across a wooden bridge, while the sounds of combat grew more and more prominent…

Then…

"FIRE!"

A loud BOOM resounded all across the island as a series of cannons fired off giant steel cannonballs at the pirates below!

Chihiro gasped as she watched the pirates flee from below her place on the bridge, then looked up and saw a cannonball screeching right towards her! Chihiro screamed for mere moments as some giant blue blur tackled her and sent her rolling onto a ship, right behind a tall stack of crates. With a groan she hook her head and looked to her side to find Gill Grunt and Zap!

"Thanks for the save, guys," Chihiro said as she wiped herself off.

"No problem, Chi," Gill Grunt replied as he gave her a friendly pat on the back, then looked over at the warring pirates.

"YE SCOURGES WILL SEE DAVY JONES'S LOCKER BEFORE YE SEE THAT TREASURE CHEST!" Shouted a gruff-voiced pirate over the sound of sizzling fuses and flying cannonballs.

"I SHOULD BE TELLIN' YE THE SAME THING!" Shouted another pirate as a round of cannons fired once more.

As Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Zap watched the chaos unfold, Chihiro heaved a sigh.

"Man, I've heard of shopping frenzies and stuff, but this is ridiculous!" Chihiro remarked as she watched the pirates across from her brawl over a gold-filled treasure chest, "How do they expect anyone to get anything?"

"They don't Chihiro, they're pirates." Gill Grunt looked at Chihiro for a few moments before he surveyed the area, "Now, from the looks of it, these cannons are everywhere, so we'll just have to travel quickly—"

"Or, we could just take out the cannons where they stand!" Chihiro nudged herself next to Gill Grunt and gently elbowed his arm.

"And add fuel to the fire? I don't think so, Chi." Gill Grunt shook his head, "That crowd's gone upstream as is—if we get caught in the mix, it'll get even worse!"

"Eh, you do have a point." Chihiro only sighed in response until she felt something push in front of her.

"Unless, y'know, you happened to have a super-speedy water dragon on your team who could zip past those dudes in a flash!" Zap chirped as he nudged both Gill Grunt and Chihiro.

"You sure you could carry us both, though?" Chihiro asked as she looked over at Zap, who only nodded.

"Sure thing, dudette!" Zap skidded away and stretched his legs, "Just let me warm up first!"

After a few quick stretches, Zap spun himself around in a couple circles of a sea slime trail. As he spun, he grew faster and faster while electricity crackled at his paws, until he was little more than a sparking blur of lightning! When Zap finally came to a stop, his eyes shone as static electricity sparked at his feet!

"Hop on, dudes!" Zap nodded as if to urge them on further.

Chihiro smiled, then grabbed Gill Grunt's hand and hopped onto Zap's back! As Gill Grunt took his seat, Chihiro wrapped her arms tight around Zap's neck and beamed.

"Ready?" Zap leaned forward, then dashed away, "GO!"

Without even so much as a word from the others, Zap dashed off as a trail of electricity-infused sea slime formed underneath him and amplified his speed! He went so fast that the pirates who were warring behind them could barely even see them pass by.

"WOO-HOO!" Chihiro hollered as she pumped a fist in this air, "THIS IS—"

Before Chihiro could finish, however, a giant cannonball crashed ahead of their path! Zap skidded around it and nearly tipped over in the process, but quickly regained his balance and carried on.

"They found us!" Zap shouted as he narrowly dodged another cannonball, "Guess I'd better speed things up a lit—ACK!"

Zap was tossed forward as another cannonball crashed a few steps behind him, then landed on his paws and skated forwards—albeit a little slower than before.

"Hey, dudes, watch where you're shooting!" Chihiro shouted as she looked up and gave the cephalopodian marksman who manned the cannons lancing looks.

With a growl, she created a magic sphere and shot it at the marksman, then watched as it hit him square in the head and knocked him unconscious!

"Looks like we've gotta fight after all," Gill Grunt said as he aimed his cannon at another marksman, "Let me handle this guy, Chi!"

With a swift, soundless push of the trigger, twin harpoons were sent spiraling into the air and toward the pirate marksman, who barely even noticed them before they knocked his hat clean off his head! The marksman looked over and barely made out a scream before Gill Grunt hosed him down with scalding water and caused him to fall over.

"Ya-hoo!" Zap shouted as the cannons started to cease fire, "Keep it up, dudes!"

"Okay!" Chihiro and Gill shouted as they readied their fire.

As Zap dashed through the paths sandwiched between the war zones, Chihiro and Gill shot off magical attacks, harpoons, burning hot water streams and everything in between! The pirate marksmen all fell victim to their attacks as they passed by, like they were some kind of silent assassins!

"Hey, guys, I think I see the end!" Zap exclaimed, before his eyes widened as a wooden gate rose in front of the exit! With a bite of his lip, Zap skated off even faster than before! But the gate rose just as fast—he wasn't gonna make it at this rate!

"Hang on, dudes!" Zap bowed down as he skated forward, "I'm gonna jump it!"

"WHAT?" Chihiro shouted, "ZAP, I DIDN'T HEAR Y—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Before Chihiro could finish, Zap leaped into the air like a prize-winning racehorse and soared right over the gate right as it shut! As smooth as the flight was, the landing wasn't quite as fortunate—for Zap had toppled over and they all fell head-first onto the ground.

As they all groaned and staggered up, they paused to peer over their surroundings. It was surprisingly quite here compared to the prior area—no pirates were in sight, just a few fireflies that flickered across the grassy hills and forest. Brooks babbled as they reflected the soft torchlight, and if not for the imposing mission it seemed like the perfect place for a nighttime picnic. Well, that and all the pirates.

"Hey, Chi, just out of curiosity, do you happen to know where we are?" Zap asked.

"Not really," Chihiro said as she shrugged and scampered through the dark, "But, I'm perfectly sure we're going in the right direction, Zapster, I—"

"Watch out for that—" Zap cringed as he watched Chihiro run straight into a nearby tree, "Tree."

"Yeah, meant to do that." Chihiro slid down the tree and flopped onto her back, "I so meant to do that."

Just then, the sound of matches being lit alarmed them to the fact that enemies were near! Gill Grunt raised his water cannon, Zap began charging a jolt of electricity, and Chihiro jolted up as she readied an energy sphere. They heard the familiar sounds of screeching cannonballs… Then watched as it hit the gate with a thunk and dropped onto the ground. The gate itself was perfectly fine, even—aside from the cannonball-shaped dent in its surface, anyways.

They all shrugged, then turned around and walked forward to find themselves faced by a hill with a steep, dirt wall.

Chihiro frowned, then felt her way around the wall's surface and grabbed onto something—a rock! With a smile, she dashed up the rock wall, then grabbed hold of the top and flipped herself onto it!

As she smiled and waved at them, Gill Grunt beamed up at her, then started up his jetpack and flew straight up to the top in the blink of an eye!

While Gill Grunt joined them, Zap beamed up and went to climb onto the rock wall… Only to lose his grip and fall off after a few rocks. Then with a frown, he walked a few paces away and dashed off like a rocket, across the dirt and straight up the wall!… Then lost momentum midway through and fell on his head. Zap tried this a few more times, but no matter how far he dashed up, he always fell back down on his head.

"You okay, Zap?" Chihiro shouted as she looked down at Zap from the top.

"I'm gonna find another way around," Zap groaned as he stood upright and zipped around the overgrowth on a path of sea slime, "I'll meet you dudes later!"

Zap didn't pause to hear Chihiro and Gill Grunt's response—they were already out of range by the time he finished talking. Zap zoomed through the overgrown forest, his orange eyes wide and trained on anything that could hint towards the Twin Spouts' appearance. But of course, no such thing showed itself to him—and on top of that, time seemed to had slowed to a crawl and made things that much more tedious.

"Sheesh, how hard can it be to find a pair of spouts?" Zap asked himself as he came to a stop, only for him to hear a twig crack and jump.

"Who's there?! Get out here!" Zap looked down and saw a cracked twig underneath his slippery paw, then hung his head.

"I'd better get out of here," Zap prodded even further into the forest and shook his head, "This place is starting to do freaky things to my head."

As he moved on forward, however, Zap didn't take notice to the chorus of yellow eyes glinting with malevolence that peered out from the bushes, paired with the low, malicious cackles of seadogs. At least, he didn't notice until one sacked him—and by that, we mean that he was literally captured in a giant brown sack and slung over the shoulder of a bulky seadog.

"Haul 'em in, mates! We just caught ourselves a Skylandee!" shouted the leader of the small crew, a roughed-up seadog with more tattoos than fur.

"Hey, lemme go!" Zap shouted as he struggled and squirmed against the seadog's grip, "Guys! Chi! Gill! Help!"

Zap shouted and screamed as loud as he could, but it was no use—nobody could hear his screams as the bag was too thick to shout through. All Zap could do was pray for help to come as the seadog ruffians hauled him away…

§

"Hey… it's been a while since Zap's ran off, don't you think Gill?" Chihiro asked as she ducked a twisted tree branch overhead.

"He has," Gill Grunt said with a gulp, "And where Zap's concerned—"

"That's never a good thing." Chihiro finished Gill's sentence for him as they both stared at each other, then to the rear of the group.

"I hope he's okay…" Chihiro gazed over the back path and clasped her hands, as if she was contemplating going back and looking for him.

"I'm sure he is, Chi. We'll just have to look for him—maybe he just a little lost." Gill gave Chihiro a reassuring gaze.

"Okay, get yourself together, Chihiro." Chihiro took some short, quick breaths, then looked back at Gill Grunt, "Looks like we'll have to split up. Gill, retrace our steps, see if he went back. I'll look up here and see if he went ahead of us."

Chihiro and Gill shared an understanding nod, then parted ways for this time but hopefully not the last. After she watched Gill Grunt go back down the trail they once followed, Chihiro trekked across the dirt floors and trembled the whole time she moved. Chihiro just sat down on the earth and prodded at the ground. She was clearly in one of those moods when every single worst-case scenario flashed in her mind—like him getting kidnapped, or seriously hurt, or drowning… Wait, he's a water dragon, he can't drown!

"You can mope around later, Hatsuki. First, you need to find Zap." Chihiro stood up and closed her eyes, then balled her hands in fists as she spoke to herself.

She then ran forward, dodged past the scenery, which thankfully noticeably lacked in the pirate department. All she saw were trees and hills and oceans and stone… Wait…

"Wait, where'd all the pirates go?" Chihiro asked herself as she slowed down and swerved to her left while her brown eyes skimmed the premises.

She then slowed down her run to a cautious walk and stepped forward without realizing it… Only only to immediately regret that decision—because she stepped in a murky bog that drenched her boot.

"EeeeeEEEE!" Chihiro let out a short shriek of shock as she realized that she had just stepped in the cold, murky waters of the bog, before she gingerly placed another foot inside the dirty seas.

"Hey, Chihiro!"

Chihiro could hear Gill's faint voice in the distance and whipped her head around, wide eyes a'blink as Gill Grunt jetted towards her.

"Did you find Zap?" Chihiro asked as she gave Gill Grunt an eager look.

Gill Grunt only forlornly shook his head, which caused Chihiro's face to fall immediately.

"I retraced his steps as far as I could, but still no sign of Zap," Gill said as he placed a fin on her shoulder. "I know, I'm worried about him too."

Silence resonated between the two before Chihiro clenched her fist and stomped along.

"I'm sure he probably just found some secret shortcut and ran ahead of us." Chihiro's tone warbled, her words more confident than she was, "He must've, that sounds exactly like something he would doOOOOO!"

Chihiro felt a sharp pain in her foot, then knelt down to find a strange, yellow blob with a chainsaw-looking thing where its mouth should've been!

It dutifully hacked away at her foot, with a small, bleeding gash across her heel already accomplished.

Chihiro's frown deepened as she plucked the strange creature out from the waters and glared down at it. She then held her palm a few inches away from its bladed mouth and created bolts of aqua lightning that shocked the monster out of her hand.

"That'll teach those things to attack me."

Chihiro stormed ahead as her anxiety faded away while Gill Grunt silently trailed behind her, a frown spread across his scaly face. She may have not said anything, but surely she hoped Gill Grunt couldn't tell that she was rife with anxiety and anger—understandably, considered all of the possible scenarios that could have been occurring right then and there. After all, she had a mission to perform—she couldn't break down right now.

For the next few minutes, they silently trudged across the bogs. No sounds could be heard but the crickets and their footsteps—and of course, the slosh of the grimy bogwater.

"And I thought my marsh of a backyard was bad," Chihiro grumbled, her head hung down low, "If worrying about Zap doesn't kill me off first, these swamps probably will."

"Did you say something, Chi?" Gill Grunt gave Chihiro a confused stare.

"Oh right, I bet you don't mind. After all, you're a Gillman, you guys were practically made for these kinda things. Humans, on the other hand, yeah." Chihiro looked down for a new moments, a trembling frown on her face, then looked up and flashed a genuine smile, "Hey, I think we're nearly there!"

Chihiro leaned forward, her eyes guided towards the faint trace of torchlight, then with a snap of her fingers she summoned a magical pair of binoculars and looked forward.

There, right in front of her, was a small island covered in trees and lanterns! It had several small houses planted on its surface—though why anybody would want to live in a place that's a regular pirate paradise was beyond guessing. But above all, it was blocked off by a wicker gate guarded by a lock puzzle, much like the ones Chihiro had solved many times before.

"Another puzzle?" Chihiro walked up and examined the lock puzzle, then jiggled it a couple times and watched as it unlocked!… And landed straight on her foot.

Of course, it had taken a few seconds for Chihiro to register that there was currently a lock puzzle on her foot, but the minute she peered down and did, well…

"OWCH! Why does that keep happening?!" Chihiro peered down at the puzzle… Except it had vanished and left behind a throbbing, aching foot. Poor foot.

As Chihiro sat down and massaged her foot, Gill Grunt sped up to her side and peered at the now-open gate.

"This place looks so quiet… There's nobody here, but all the lights are on." Chihiro stood up and gazing over at the empty town, "They must've been in a hurry… But, all at once?"

"Something about this feels off, Chi. Watch your step." Gill Grunt's face twisted into a frown.

"Oh, I'm sure it's fine, Gill, I mean, what's the worst that could be here? A few of those weird slashy thingies?" Chihiro stampeded forward, then climbed up the trees and peered into the houses' windows.

"Yep, not a soul here! Except for a few birds, that is," Chihiro said as she peered into a window from the palm tree she was standing upon, which reflected a bedroom with a caged bluebird inside.

"Strange, isn't it?" She then peered down at Gill Grunt, who was staring at her from his position on the ground.

"A little too strange, if you ask me." Gill gave the terrain around them suspicious glances as he turned a couple sides.

"AIEEEEEE!"

Gill Grunt's view shot up and saw that Chihiro had slipped off a palm branch and came screeching down! As she fell down, Gill Grunt flew up and caught her in his scaly arms, then slowly hovered back down and let her jump back onto the earthy ground.

"Thanks for the save, Gill." Chihiro rolled out of his grasp and peered over at the other side of this creepy little town, "Hey, Gills, I think I see something over there!"

Chihiro dashed over to the other side of town and skid to a halt in front of a… Something. It looked a bit like a small portal with its milky-white surface that sparkled in all sorts of colorful hues—bright cyans and aquas, regal purples, energetic pinks…

"What's with this thing? Is it a portal?" Chihiro whipped up a magnifying glass out of magic and proceeded to examine the strange portal, then tossed her magnifying glass onto it and watched as it was whooshed away in a flash.

"Guess that answers my question," Chihiro mumbled as she placed her hands on her hips, "Now what am I gonna do?"

"Would you look at that? A warp!" Gill Grunt said as he flew over to Chihiro's side, "You did it, Chihiro! Now let's get goin—"

"Wait, hold on—a warp?" Chihiro then peered over the "warp," "That looks like a like a portal to me! Well, a really small one, but—"—Chihiro was cut off by Gill Grunt's soft chuckles—"Wait, what's so funny?"

"Well, you're not too far off." Gill Grunt placed his hand on his chin, "Master Eon talked about these things once—the magic they use imitates portal magic, but it's not quite perfect. They can only go to one place instead of a bunch—and since it's not the same thing, portal masters can use 'em all they like!"

"Wait a second." Chihiro put her hands to her chin as she gazed over the warp, "So you're saying I could use this without ripping holes in the time-space continuity or somethin' like that?"

"Well, yeah?" Gill Grunt gave Chihiro a wary smile.

Chihiro cast one last gaze at the warp, then gently tapped it with her foot. With not one second to be wasted, the portal whooshed her away in a giant, pastel tower of shining light!

"WOAH!" Chihiro exclaimed before the light vanished—and Chihiro with it.

"Well, looks like I'd better go," Gill Grunt watched as the magic faded, then adjusted his jetpack, "Let's hope—Mmph!"

Before Gill Grunt could even finish his sentence, he was caught in a massive, brown sack! He struggled against it, but it was far too thick and strong for him to cut open—but not strong enough to mask the conversation outside.

"That's two of the Skylandees caught," said someone with a gruff voice, "But what about the lad?"

"Well, we can't catch 'em doin' what we usually do, cap'n," said another person with a notably higher voice, "After all, they're a portal master! Methinks we're gonna be fu—"

"Language, mate. We're tryin' to keep this story T rated."

"Sorry, cap'n." the higher-pitched voice adopted a bit of remorse and paused before it spoke again, "But what will we do?! This lad is surely much more powerful than any of us!"

"Relax, mate," the first, gruff voice took a noticeably lackadaisical tone to it, "When the wee lad sees their Skylandees all tied up and helpless, methinks they'll come along swiftly."

And with that, the sack Gill Grunt was trapped in dropped on the ground! As Gill Grunt felt a mild pain surge through his body, he heard someone untie the sack!

"Hey! Who did that?!" Gill Grunt shouted as he poked his head out of the sack, "Come out and face me, you—"

Gill Grunt was immediately greeted by a chorus of cutlasses pointed straight at his face and gulped.

"Yeah, keep it down, Skylandee, and maybe we won't filet ye while we have the chance," growled one of Gill Grunt's captors, a mangy seadog in a crimson-stained hat—who looked awfully familiar, for that matter…

"Wait a second, you're that pirate captain from the docks!"

"Ding, ding! Give the fishy a prize~" The seadog captain sneered as he untied another sack just a bit and looked back at Gill Grunt.

It was, indeed the same person—same mangy brown fur, same tattered robes, same crimson-stained captain's hat… But this time, he seemed so much more malevolent and evincing than he did when they were at the docks with his narrowed eyes and bared fangs.

"That Kaos fella warned us about ye lot showin' up, pokin' your noses where ye shouldn't. Seems like he was right."

Gill Grunt bit his lip and gazed around the area, while the salty seadogs gave him suspicious glares in return. He then looked to his side, where Zap's head popped out of the second sack and gazed around as he gasped for breath.

"Zap!" Gill Grunt shouted as he looked over at Zap.

"They got you too, huh dude?" Zap said as he gazed over at Gill Grunt with maybe a tad bit of regret.

"Unfortunately." Gill Grunt's eyes peered down at the loamy earth—and the sack he was still in. Gill Grunt tried to push against it and get out, but no dice—it was still far too tight for him to worm out.

"Come on Skylandees, we've got a special mission for you!" The seadog captain said as he grabbed them both by the sack.

"And what makes you think we'll do anything for you?" Gill Grunt's lips narrowed into a snarl as he watched the pirate captain sneer.

"Well, the fact that ye're all tied up with nowhere to go comes to mind." The captain grabbed a roll of slime-covered seaweed from the inside of his coat and snapped off a few rows before he tied them around Gill and Zap's mouths, "And I don't want to hear a word about it, Skylandee."

And with their cries muffled, the captain dragged the two of them along the darker side of the bushes…

§

Chihiro opened her eyes, and before she knew it she found herself on the other side of the warp! As soon as her feet hit the ground, she scanned her body all over—nope, no weird travel injuries of any variety—then peered over to find that everything seemed perfectly normal! Well, as normal as this place could get, anyways.

"Guess Gill was right," Chihiro remarked as she brushed her hair out of her face and looked around, "Speaking of Gill, where is he?"

Chihiro kicked a pebble with her shoe as she looked over the warp. He was right behind her, right?… Surely he would've arrived by now—did something happen to him on the trip here? Hopefully not.

"Guess I'll just have to wait on him—maybe there was traffic." Chihiro bit her lip and shook her head, "That's ridiculous, Chihiro! Why would a magical warp gate have traffic?"

Well, she never knew for sure—Skylands was a place where anything was possible, after all. For now, she could probably scan the area around here for the Twin Spouts—which was what she did as she shifted through the thick leaves and bushes around her. However, there was nothing of interest aside from some bugs.

"It must be further along the pathway." She then diverted her eyes back to the path ahead of her, though she could barely see its contents because of the dimming light.

However, what she did see made her worry just a bit—the grassy pathways were lined with tons of pirates! All tough ones too, with giant fancy weapons that could probably put the stuff on Earth to shame and giant muscles to rival a cartoon bodybuilder's. And if that wasn't bad enough, she could just barely spy rows of cannons across the way and ready to fire.

"Geez, they really pulled out all the stops, didn't they?_" _Chihiro dove through the bushes and peered out of a handmade hole, "This better be where the spouts are, 'cause if they aren't…"

Chihiro bit her lip, then caught a shimmer of gold out the corner of her eye and peered ahead. Though she could barely make it out between the clutter, she spied a stone pedestal that held something golden on its top, flanked by two bulky pirates—wait, that scene seemed awfully familiar…

"Wait, that's what I saw on the Far-Viewer! I'm definitely here!" Chihiro smiled and closed up the bushes as she turned back to the warp, "Gill, I—"

Gill Grunt still wasn't there.

Chihiro frowned as she watched the area around her, which seemed much more notably lonely than before without Gill Grunt and Zap's presence. She really hoped they were okay, but…

"It's getting really dark, I think." Chihiro looked up at the dark night skies, while the full moon was hidden by dark clouds, "I didn't even think about the time, but I probably can't stay for much longer."

Chihiro bit her lip as she grabbed onto a tree branch.

"Speaking of time, I kinda wonder what time it is back on Earth." Chihiro kicked a smooth gray rock as she hung her head. "I bet Mom and Dad are at home, all worried sick!"

However, that very notion only made her feel worse as her frown deepened and her head hung lower and lower until her chin jabbed into her chest.

"They probably are worried—a whole lot, too!" Chihiro's voice was barely audible, though her pain was apparent as she fought back tears, "I should be ashamed of myself for making them worry like this when they have so much else to be worrying about."

Tears fell down her face and sniffles escaped from her nose before Chihiro wiped her tears away and looked up.

"No, I can't get upset about them right now. I'm sure they'd understand if they knew I have a world to save."

Chihiro then gazed ahead at the path before her and bit her lip as she watched the pirates pace about and talk among themselves.

"I'm gonna have to solo it—it looks like Gill and Zap won't be back soon." Chihiro dove her hands into a tall patch of reeds and brushed them past as she peered at the other side, "But what can I do?"—Chihiro turned around, then placed a hand on her chin and hummed—"Maybe an invisibility spell!"

Chihiro beamed as she shot her hand to the sky and focused her heart.

"Alright—turn me invisible!"

She waited… And waited… And waited some more… But it was no use, she was still completely visible! As she looked down at her still-visible form, Chihiro sighed and pointed her finger to the skies once again.

"Let's try this again…" Chihiro thrust her arm in the air for emphasis, "Turn me invisible!"

Still no dice. Chihiro could only slough over and sigh as she noted once against that she was still easily seen.

"Guess invisibility magic's still too advanced for me…" Chihiro hid herself behind the reeds once more, "I'm just gonna have to come up with something else."

As Chihiro's eyes glazed over the pirate forces once more, her mouth pursed into a frown.

"Maybe I could come up with a distraction!" Chihiro whispered as her frown turned to a grin, "Yeah, that sounds good, but what…"—Chihiro pushed away the reeds just a little further and looked over at the cannons, which had stacks of shiny black cannonballs nearby—"… That's it!"

Chihiro closed her eyes and clasped her hands, her mind focused on the cannonballs.

_Now, cannonballs… Attack those seadogs!_

Chihiro felt magic rush through her veins at such an intensity it made her whole body tremble, then snapped open her eyes and clapped her hands. All was silent for moments as Chihiro gazed over the cannonballs… Only for one to float up and crash just a few inches away from one of the pirates!

Chihiro made a sharp gasp of glee as more cannonballs flung themselves towards the seadog guards! The guards, in response, panicked and jumped out of the way, or cursed out the marksmen—who had now come down to argue back! As everything dissolved into chaotic brawls and cannonballs, Chihiro smirked.

"Now's my chance!" Chihiro whispered as she closed her eyes and teleported away!

When she opened her eyes, Chihiro found herself a few paces onto the bridge—though nobody noticed her sudden appearance, it seemed. The pirates that once guarded the spouts were more busy with their game of deadly dodgeball, or, well…

"WHAT DO YE THINK YE'RE DOIN'?"

"ME DIDN'T DO A THING! THOSE CANNONBALLS JUMPED UP BY THEMSE—"

"LIKELY STORY, MATEY! ME KNEW YE ALWAYS VIED FOR ME POSITION—"

_Geez, looks like things are gonna get ugly, _Chihiro thought as she closed her eyes and focused once more, _Better get out of here._

With a pop that was barely heard over the cacophony of chaos, Chihiro teleported a few feet up across the bridge… And a few more… And a little more.

"Wow," Chihiro panted as she rested against the bridge for a breath, "Just how long is this bridge—"

Chihiro's sentence cut itself off for good reason—right in front of her eyes was none other than the Twin Spouts, in all their golden, spouty glory! It kind of reminded her of an ancient chalice, just a little bit. Its center was shaped like one, but with twin spouts that flanked both its sides and a round, platform-like base. And ever true to its name, it was made entirely of sparkly gold!

"Okay, Chi, the target's in sight, now to get it."

Chihiro basked in the golden sparkles of the Twin Spouts for moments, then carefully lifted it off its podium. She was gingerly and slow about the whole process—just in case of traps—but surprisingly, nothing happened when she got the spouts off! Unless it was a delayed response… Chihiro paused and looked around for a few seconds, but still—nothing happened.

"Aww yeah, who's awesome? I'm awesome!" Chihiro then magicked up a sack and placed the spouts inside, "In fact, I can't believe that actually worked!"

As she looked back at the still-brawling pirates, Chihiro held the top of the magic sack tight and looked aside only to find a strange light that came from across a stone pathway.

"Now to blow this pop stand!" Chihiro dashed off, her eyes trained on the path below her feet and the soft, warm light.

_I still haven't found Gill or Zap, though, _Chihiro frowned and heaved a sigh, then shook her head, _Eh, I'm sure they're okay! They're probably waiting at the docks for me!_

Chihiro ran two steps a time down the pathway as the light grew brighter and familiar wooden planking came into view. With a leap off the stairs, she landed on the planks and beamed—because she was back at the docks onto more! The docks were still fairly quiet with no pirates in sight, so now it was just a matter of getting on board. Chihiro skipped past the various giant schooners and warships, each an almost-identical blur in her mind, before her eyes rested on the familiar sight of Delilah's mast and caused her to run!

"Gurglefin!" Chihiro called as she ran up to Delilah's plank.

Chihiro heard a surprised shout, then watched as Gurglefin peered over the deck.

"Chihiro, there you are!" Gurglefin shouted back with just a hint of relief in his voice, "Did you get the spouts?"

Chihiro nodded firmly and gave Gurglefin a thumbs up.

"Hey, are Gill Grunt and Zap with you?"

"Haven't seen them since you left." Gurglefin shook his head.

Chihiro bit her lip and frowned. So they weren't here, either… Where could they have possibly gone?

"Gill? Zapster? You guys here? Olly olly oxen free!" Chihiro called as she scanned the docks for any possible traces of them… But nothing showed.

Just then…

"THERE THEY ARE! GET 'EM!"

Out of nowhere, a bunch of pirates jumped out from the shadows and onto the docks! Their snarls and grimaces were as wide as their weapons were sharp and big, and it was clear from their posture that they were in no mood to play around!

Chihiro gasped and bit her lip, then drew her cutlass… Only for its blade to fall off.

"Crap, should've known that thing was a piece of junk," Chihiro muttered as she tossed the handle into the ocean.

"Well, well, look who we 'ave here!" Crowed a familiar voice as the crowd parted ways, "If it isn't Cap'n Cheerio the Bold!"

Chihiro jolted at the sound of calm footsteps, then turned back to her front to find none other than the seadog pirate captain who had ambushed her earlier!

"If that's even yer real name, that is." The seadog bore his fang as his eyes narrowed.

§

"So tell me…" The seadog captain crowed as he crossed his arms behind his back, "Who are ye, really?"

The crowd of seadogs bellowed out irate shouts and cries of battle as they imposed themselves on Chihiro, all bared fangs and sharp cutlasses and beady eyes. Geez, who messed with their coffee that evening?

"Well…" Chihiro said with a smirk as she dramatically placed her hand over her face and turned away. Chihiro then looked up at them and smirked before she spun around and tossed off her pirate costume to reveal her regular clothes underneath!

Her true identity revealed, Chihiro narrowed her eyes into a lancing look as she held up her hands—which had their thumbs, index fingers and pinkies extended while the other two fingers laid curled against her palms—right in front of her face.

"I am Chihiro Hatsuki, portal master and guardian of all that is good in this universe!" Chihiro then pointed a finger towards the seadogs, "And in the name of peace, love, and justice, I'll punish you for your transgressions against Skylands!"

The seadogs only stared with blank expressions as Chihiro chuckled and let up on her pose.

"Heh, I always wanted to do that." Chihiro scratched the back of her head, then peered over only to find the seadogs' blank stares, "Hey, it wasn't that bad!"

Only a chuckle was heard from the group as the seadog captain trained a sneer on Chihiro.

"I should've guessed ye were a portal master when yer lil' gift disappeared in a cloud of magic dust," The captain remarked as his sneer deepened, "Ye were here for the Twin Spouts, weren't ye?"

"So what if I was?" Chihiro bit her lip and drew back, now quite serious.

"Well you see, lad." The seadog nudged something behind his back, "Lord Kaos promised me a hefty booty for those little Spouts—"

A bunch of pirates in the back of the crowd started giggling—though they tried to muffle it with their paws, it was still quite audible.

"Not that kinda booty, ye morons!" The seadog captain growled at his crew and watched as they all immediately fell into silence, then regained his composure and turned back to Chihiro, "Anyways, I was promised quite the booty for those Spouts, and I'm not willing to let ye just waltz off with 'em like that."

"And what makes you think you can stop me?" Chihiro narrowed her eyes and glared down the captain, "We need these Spouts to remake the Core of Light! I'm not just gonna give them up!"

"Will these make ye change yer mind, then?"

The seadog captain pulled something out from his back—two large, brown sacks with Zap and Gill Grunt inside!

"MMPH!" Zap tried to shout, but it was no use—his mouth was covered in sticky seaweed and unable to make a single significant noise.

"Zap! Gill!" Chihiro shouted, her eyes widened with horror and then rage as she looked back at the captain, "Let go of them, right now!"

"Oh, I'll let them go, laddie…" The captain touted as he eyed the bag in Chihiro's hand, "If ye give me back the Twin Spouts. A fair trade, I'd say—the Spouts for yer mateys lives!"

"MMPH! Mmph mm mmph!" Gill Grunt shouted, but the seaweed around his mouth was so thick that it continued to muffled his voice and made his cries inaudible.

"Clock's tickin', lad." The seadog captain hissed as he narrowed his eyes, "Ye best make yer decision now—or me'll make it for ye."

Chihiro's eyes stung with fear as she gazed at Gill Grunt and Zap, then looked down at the magic sack she still clasped in her hand. She didn't want to give up the Twin Spouts—they were far too important, after all, not just to her but to everyone else—but Gill Grunt and Zap were her precious friends! She couldn't give up her friends' lives, that was too much!

"You really are awful people, aren't you?" Chihiro scowled as she looked back at the smirking seadog pirate.

"Comes with the territory of being a pirate, lad."

Her eyes ablaze with rage and determination, Chihiro tied the sack to her sweatpants.

"I'll tell you what." Magic crackled from Chihiro's hands and feet as she spoke, "I'm not going to give you the Spouts—"

"Oh, it looks like the laddie has a cruel bone after all~" The seadog captain crackled with laughter.

"But I won't you take Zap and Gill, either! I'll save them, right this moment!"

Just then, Chihiro vanished into midair! The seadogs all gasped as she reappeared inches above the seadog captain, yanked the sacks that contained Zap and Gill Grunt out of his hands, then vanished once again!

"Don't just stand there, ye oafs!" The seadog captain pointed his cutlass ahead of the crowd where Chihiro had reappeared, "After 'em!"

As the crowds shouted and swarmed after Chihiro, she gulped and teleported again, this time onto the canopy of a building's small stand and then onto the building's roof. Her breath heavy, Chihiro's eyes glazed over the docks, where the pirates had all crowded in front of the building. However, no matter how many times they jumped up or stacked on top of each other, they couldn't reach the roof where Chihiro rested.

"Can't get me from up here, can you now?!" Chihiro exclaimed as Gill Grunt and Zap made muffled cries, only for a pirate to shoot a cannonball up to the skies!

Chihiro winced as the cannonball slammed straight into the building and made a decently-sized hole inside!

"Crap, maybe you can!" Chihiro then closed her eyes and teleported once more.

When she opened her eyes again, Chihiro was safely back on Delilah's deck! She looked over to a few moments and saw a frantic-looking Gurglefin reel in the plank, then dropped Gill Grunt and Zap with a thunk!

Of course, they both made some fairly displeased grumbles and noises—but given that their mouths were still covered it was barely audible.

"What was that, Zap? I can't hear a word you're saying! Oh, right, you're all tied up," Chihiro said before she giggled, "I'll deal with that."

She then tore the seaweed off of Gill and Zap's person and loosened the sacks to the point where they could safely get out!

"So what was it you were going to say, Zapster?"

"IT'S A TRAP!" Zap shouted as he frantically looked around, then sighed and took a breather, "Oh wait, nevermind bros."

"Oh Zap." Chihiro chuckled as she looked over Zap and Gill Grunt, "Man, I'm glad I was able to pull that off! I was so worked up I thought it wouldn't work for a second…"

Chihiro then peered up at Gurglefin.

"Gurglefin, full speed ahead! It's time to get out of this place!"

"I couldn't agree with you more!" Gurglefin exclaimed as he hastily spun the wheel, "Back home we go!"

With one last turn of the wheel, Delilah zoomed away at speeds Chihiro wasn't even entirely certain she could go! Water splashed against Delilah's hull as she sailed further ahead, until the gates were a vague blob in sights.

"There's the gates!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned over and pointed towards them, only for her face to fall, "Crap, I think they're closing!"

Chihiro was right—as they drew closer, a mechanical grind was heard as the gates slowly drew to a close!

"They're locking us in!" Chihiro sighed and shook her head, "Dangit, I should've known that was gonna happen."

Chihiro clung to the Spouts that were still tied to her pants and grimaced. What was she gonna do? How on Earth would they get out of here now, assuming the pirates didn't get to them first? What would—

Chihiro's train of terrified thought came to a stop as she felt a cool, reassuring fin place itself on her shoulder and turned towards Gill Grunt.

"Don't worry, Chi, we'll figure this out," Gill Grunt said as he and Chihiro nodded in unison.

Gill Grunt then turned to face the side of the island and gasped.

Confused by Gill Grunt's shock, Chihiro turned around and saw that there, on top of a lengthily-spanning series of wooden platforms, was a seadog who was cranking a wooden crank! Surely, the had to be the person in charge of the gate!

"That's the gate person!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned further against the deck railing to get a better view, "Quick, Gill, shoot 'em down!"

"Can't." Gill Grunt shook his head to reaffirm his statement, "It's too far away!"

They all heard a faint crack and then turned around to find that the gatemaster had broken the crank's level off. Great…

Chihiro pursed her lips and grunted while her hands crackled with cyan magic.

"Looks like we'll just have to find another way out!" Chihiro looked towards Zap and Gill Grunt and held out her sparkling hands, "Gill, Zap, hold on to me and I'll teleport us over!"—Chihiro then turned to Gurglefin—"Gurglefin, stay here and try not to get the ship sunk!"

As Gill Grunt and Zap clasped onto her hands, Chihiro closed her eyes. Magic flowed through her body and made her limbs feel fuzzy as she channeled the magic within her, then with a bright flash of light all three of them disappeared!

§

When the magic faded, Chihiro found herself back on the docks, which were still filled with pirates—including that awful, awful captain. However, being around them didn't feel as scary as before—not when she had her friends by her side.

"Me knew ye'd come crawlin' back as soon as the gates closed," The seadog captain sneered as he drew his cutlass, "But if ye wants to open the gate, ye'll have to go through me and me hearties first!"—The seadog made a sneer—"Or, ye could just give us those Spouts ye have there and me'll let ye go free…"

"We're not giving up these spouts! We need them to remake the Core of Light!" Gill Grunt shouted, his eyes narrowed as he clasped his harpoon gun tight.

"Well, why didn't ye say so?" Sympathy dripped from the captain's voice as his sneer softened, "We'll let ye go free."

"Really?" Zap asked as he looked around at the captain's crew members, who were now slowly sheathing their swords and putting away their weapons.

"Not," smirked the pirate, "After all, our client promised a hefty sum of booty for this little piece a'gold!"—The captain unsheathed his sword and held it to the heavens—"Mateys, get the Spouts at any cost!"

And with that, the battling went all-out! Pirates pounced from all angles onto the trio anc they were more than ready for a fight!

Gill Grunt whipped out his harpoon gun and hosed down the pirates with scalding water! And while Gill Grunt watched the pirates reel in pain from the water's heat, Zap, ever true to his name, zapped the pirates with bolts of lightning from his mouth and shocked them all in a row!

With teeth a'chatter and sparks a'fly around the battlefield, Chihiro took the opportunity to get a slice of the action herself! She sprinted forward with a huff and punched a seadog straight in the face, then spun around and shot off a barrage of magical energy spheres! Yowls of pain became a symphony to her ears as at least a quarter of the crew fell!

Unfortunately, that quarter didn't seem to be enough, because more pirates flooded in by the moment until they overcrowded Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Zap! The three of them were forced to back up till they had no room left.

"Geez, how big a crew does this guy have anyway?" Chihiro shouted, her back towards the ocean as the pirates crowded around her.

"I'm not sure, Chihiro, but I don't think we can fight them all off!" Gill Grunt while furiously trying to blast away the pirates in his sights.

"Gee, you think?" Zap gargled as he blasted away a large cephalopad with a giant lightning bold.

"Well, if we can't beat them, then we'll just have to shake them!" Chihiro exclaimed as she frowned and bit her lip, "But how—ACK!"

Chihiro's sentence was interrupted halfway as a yellow imp with bloodshot eyes that could barely reach her knees sneaked under her and snatched the Spouts from her!

Everybody stared at the snickering imp for mere moments, then watched it dashed away into the crowd of pirates. As it faded out of view everybody blinked, then…

"Get that imp!" The seadog captain exclaimed as he pointed his cutlass towards the direction the imp ran!

The pirates completely forgot about Chihiro, Gill, and Zap! They tripped over themselves and pulled at their crewmates' hairs while they tried to reach the imp, all in one big ball of chaos. Within mere moments, they had all vanished along with the imp!

"Now's our chance, guys!" Chihiro proclaimed as she looked at Gill Grunt and Zap, "You guys see if you can get the gates open, I'll get the Spouts back!"

Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Zap all nodded in unison, then Chihiro sprinted away from the docks and back into the forest.

Now, the forest was still as dark and confusing as before, but this time Chihiro had a guide—the faint sounds of pirates yelling and cursing out the imp in the furthest distance. As her feet crushed the earth underneath her, Chihiro dashed over the twigs and leaves that littered the dirt path before her. Her only light came from the magic sphere she had conjured, but it was more than enough for now.

"Now where did that little snot go…" Chihiro whispered as she slowed down while her eyes darted back and forth, "Its legs are so short, it couldn't have gone far."

"He he he!" A cackle broke its way through the surface, one sharp and mocking in tone!

As the cackle reached her ears, Chihiro whipped around in every which way. She heard it, it was definitely here!

"Where are you, you little pest?!" Chihiro jumped up and down as she shook her fists in the air, "Stop hiding like a-a-a,"—Chihiro stopped midway through her rant and shrugged—"I don't know what you are, but stop hiding like something really cowardly and fight me, you little rat!"

As Chihiro shook her rage and ran ahead, the sound of the pirates' cacophony grew louder and louder—and she could've sworn that she saw the flash of a cutlass against the newly-present torchlight. With a soft hum Chihiro prodded forward, pushed against the leaves and found that she was right! She found herself at the back of the pirate crowd, with pirates in all shapes and sizes in a rush to reach the thing ahead of then—the imp! Sure enough, there was the imp, whole held the Twin Spouts up to the air as it bounced back and forth, its mocking giggles a clear aggravation to the pirates it teased.

"Get back here, you filthy something-or-other!" Chihiro shouted as she tumbled over a loose paw of anonymous ownership.

She then muttered something to herself that most certainly shouldn't have be said by an eleven-year-old and stumbled back through the crowd!

"He he he he!"

The imp's laughter rang in Chihiro's ears and made her dash forwards without even thinking! As she pushed aside the pirates and faced down the imp, she shot her hand back and created a giant barrier that blocked off the pirates! Now, it was the two of them, in a mighty showdown for the Twin Spouts.

"Now, you little rat, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Chihiro said, "You can hand over the Spouts nicely, and I'll let you go. Or, you can keep them,"—Chihiro cracked her knuckles—"And we'll fight for them."

The imp just cackled once more and dashed forward!

"Oh no you don't!" Chihiro exclaimed as she shot her hand forward and crafted another wall ahead of the imp!

The imp gasped as the wall manifested in front of it, but it was going too fast to stop and crashed right into it! It groaned as it shook its head and came back to its sense, then looked up at Chihiro.

With a smirk, Chihiro summoned an energy sphere and flicked it forward! The sphere hit the imp immediately and wrapped it in bright light that immediately solidified into a firm bubble!

As the imp floated upwards, the Twin Spouts clacked against the ground, now free from the enemy's grasp!

Chihiro wasted no time in recapturing them as she cradled the Spouts in her arm like one would a young child. A level of fondness fell over her as she brushed her thumb against their smooth, gold surface while all seemed peaceful for a few minutes…

Then she heard a crack.

And she looked back to find that the pirate crowd was attacking her barrier with everything they had!

"Crap, forgot about those dudes," Chihiro remarked as she summoned another magic sack, placed the Twin Spouts inside and tied it to her sweatpants, "Looks like I'm gonna have to—"

Just then, one last blow from a cannon caused the barrier to shatter completely.

"… Fight my way out after all." With a gulp, Chihiro watched as the pirates all stampeded towards her, then looked down at her feet. Let's hope this works…

"Feet, jump really high!" Chihiro proclaimed as her feet glowed with a shiny, aqua light that evolved into boots with springs!

Chihiro smiled, then bounced up to the heavens—and right out of the crowd's way! Chihiro smirked as the crowd of pirates chattered and looked around in confusion, then dropped down and watched as her springy boots vanished. After she regained her balance, Chihiro created a giant sphere of cyan magic and tossed it in the air!

"Batter up!" Chihiro exclaimed as a baseball bat made of cyan magic formed in her hands while the sphere came down, "And swing!"

As she shouted out those words, Chihiro slammed her magic bat against the sphere and watched as it shot off like a rocket! As it zoomed into the air, it split into what seemed like a hundred tiny spheres that immediately slammed into each pirate with a bright flash!

The pirates all closed their eyes, likely in anticipation of some great attack… But by the time they opened those eyes, they had all been trapped inside magical blue bubbles that floated a few feet off the surface! They all screamed and cursed and yelled as they pounded against the bubbles, but it was no use as those bubbles were completely soundproofed.

Chihiro chuckled to herself for a bit as she watched them in their miserable state, then smirked as she leaned forward, pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue.

"Later gators!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around and ran off.

§

Gill Grunt and Zap frowned as they looked over the area before them. Thanks to another warp that they happened to find a little off the shoreline they had been whisked away to the back of the island, where hopefully they could find another way to open the gates—or at least get out of here…

"Ahoy, mateys!" Gargled a familiar voice as Gill Grunt and Zap turned around.

There, they saw a ship come into view, one with carefully-tended wood and a mermaid-shaped mast… Wait, Delilah? Sure enough it was! Delilah sailed into view and safely parked next to the grassy ledge that Gill Grunt and Zap currently stood on, while Gurglefin leaned over the top of the deck.

"I found out two things," Gurglefin said as he held up two fishy fingers, "Firstly, I overheard the pirates say that there's a switch that opens the gates! It should be on that ship over there!"—Gurglefin pointed to a large, fancily-decorated ship a few feet away, then chuckled and scratched the back of his head—"And second, that pirates lie a lot. So, uh, good luck I guess..."

Gill Grunt and Zap rolled their eyes, then focused on the ship ahead. It was pretty far away, but surely Gill Grunt's jetpack could fly them over there—or if not, they could have Gurglefin bridge the gap with—

"THERE YE ARE, SKYLANDEES!"

In the blink of an eye, several pirates ships sailed in and blocked off the one with the switch! The first ship's plank dropped onto the island with a clatter as crowds of hollering pirates swarmed down its wooden surface in just as much time!

"Thought ye'd gotten away from us, did ye?" Asked a gruff-voiced octopus buccaneer as he scraped his hooks together and made the most awful noise, "Sorry, buckos—ye're in fer some rough seas now!"

The pirates all cheered in agreement as they raised their weapons to the skies, then circled around Gill Grunt and Zap. There were a lot of them… Would them be able to take them all?

"You wanna fight, huh dudes?" Zap asked as slime formed at his paws, "Bring it on! We can take ya!"

"Ye sound awfully confident in yerself, Skylandee." The buccaneer swooped forward with a mighty slash, "But can ye really take all of us on at once?"

"Of course we can!" Gill Grunt shouted as he jumped onto the buccaneer's muscular arm, "We're Skylanders, after all!"

Gill Grunt then shot the pirate in the face with a mighty stream of hot water and jumped back! His jetpack started mid-jump and proceeded to douse the pirates underneath with equally-boiling water—all they could do was yowl in shock as they were soaked to the bone.

As Gill Grunt flew away from them, Zap smirked and wagged his tail while static crackled and popped at his fangs. As the pirates cried out and chased after him, Zap zoomed off on a sticky slime trail and proudly watched as the pirates were trapped onto it! With a majority of them safely stuck on the trail, Zap shot a lightning bolt at the trail and watched as the pirates screamed out in shock—literally.

While the other pirates fell unconscious, the buccaneer gulped as he frantically looked for any means of escape—but it was too late. Gill Grunt and Zap had him cornered.

"Y'know," Gill Grunt said as he cocked his harpoon gun, "I've never liked pirates. Always pillaging and plundering and leaving nothing but destruction in their wakes…"—Gill Grunt's face darkened with a serious nature—"So as you can imagine, I have little patience for someone like you."

"Please, let me go, Skylandee!" The buccaneer pleaded as he got down on his knees, "Me'll give ye anythin'! Tell ye anythin' ye wanna hear!"

"Then tell me…" Gill Grunt shot a lancing glare into the buccaneer's very soul, "Is it true that the ship you just blocked off has a switch that'll open these gates?"

"YES, YES, IT'S TRUE!" The buccaneer wailed as he fell on his face.

Gill Grunt and Zap only gave each other aside glances, then shrugged as Gill Grunt put down his harpoon gun.

"I'll let you go, then." Gill Grunt then noted the roll of seaweed tape that hung from the sobbing buccaneer's belt and snapped it off without the buccaneer even noticing, "But you're not getting away with all this, understood?"

"UNDERSTOOD!" The buccaneer sobbed some more before his head jolted up, "Wait, what?"

Gill Grunt only handed over the seaweed roll to Zap, who pulled out a strand… Then zoomed around the buccaneer until he was wrapped tight in seaweed!

The buccaneer struggled against the bonds, but the seaweed was far too sticky to escape from—much to Gill Grunt and Zap's pleasure.

"Hang tight, dude!" Zap shouted as he skated off on another slime trail, "We're gonna get that switch now!"

Gill Grunt and Zap then walked onto the first ship's plank and boarded the ship. The ship itself was nothing special—it was your average wooden pirate schooner with wooden decks and barrels and jolly roger flags everywhere you looked—but from its deck, you could see…

"Hey, Gill, look over there!" Zap shouted as he gently nudged Gill Grunt's shoulder, "I think I see that switch thingie!"

Gill Grunt craned his head above and found that a little further away from their current location, on a wooden platform suspended by a tall wooden pole was a giant stone cylinder! The cylinder's top glowed with a faint, blue light that just barely stood out against the night sky—surely that had to be it!

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Gill grunt exclaimed as he started up his jetpack and picked up Zap, "Let's get it!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Zap chirped as he and Gill Grunt flew across to the second ship's deck.

As the two of then landed, their eyes glazed over the ship's deck. There didn't appear to be a plank—just a couple of bounce pads that practically littered the ship's deck!

Zap grinned, then zoomed off and leaped straight onto the first bounce pad!

"YAHOO!" Zap hooted as he flew up and landed on a wooden lookout platform, then looked down at Gill Grunt, "C'mon dude, what'cha waiting for?"

Gill Grunt chuckled to himself, then carefully stepped onto the bounce pad. With a boing he shot off into the skies, then started up his jetpack mid-flight and flew onto the lookout.

As they looked across from where they stood and saw yet another bounce pad, Gill Grunt and Zap nodded in unison then jumped on. With another sproing they were shot across the ships and landed face-first onto another platform! The two of them shook off the pain and lurched up, then smiled as they found themselves face-to-face with the stone cylinder they saw earlier!

It looked a lot fancier now that they could see it in person—its stone surface had intricate markings carved all over it, a surface that was smooth and clearly carefully tended to. And finally, atop its surface was a smooth button that glowed in a bright shade of blue.

"Let's hope this works…" Gill Grunt said as he flew up and pushed down on the cylinder's button.

The button made a friendly beep, then a great lurching sound was heard all around!

Gill Grunt turned around in an attempt to locate the sound's source, and found that behind him a large stone gate had receded into the ocean!

"We did it, dude!" Zap cheered as he slapped a paw against Gill Grunt's hand.

"You bet we did!" Gill Grunt smiled as he picked up Zap, then started up his jetpack.

As the water gushed down from his jetpack's barrels, Gill Grunt soared across the ships and landed back down on the grassy hill they had started at. As Zap let go, the two of them stretched out…

Then the sound of panting alerted Gill Grunt and Zap to the fact that Chihiro had just caught up with them! The two of them turned around to find her bent over with her hands on her knees, then watched as she looked up at them with a tired smile.

"Took me long enough to find you guys!" Chihiro said with a playful wink, "Anywho, I got the Spouts back!"—Chihiro stood up and gently rustled the bag that was tied to her sweatpants, "Now let's get these babies into the Core of Light."

And with that said, the three of them watched as Delilah's plank positioned itself on the island. Chihiro then smiled at them and bowed in a gentlemanly manner.

"After you, good sirs."

"Last one there's a rotten piece of kelp!" Zap shouted as he dashed up the plank with an eager Chihiro behind him.

"Guess that makes me the piece of kelp," Gill Grunt said as he made a playful sigh, "And here I come!"

And with that said, he dashed up the plank and onto the deck. As he positioned himself next to Zap and Chihiro on the deck railing, the three of them watched as Delilah's plank receded back inside and she sailed off once more…

§

Back at the island, Chihiro, Gill Grunt, and Zap tumbled into a giant pile all over themselves as they raced back onto the beach's docks, all bushy-tailed and bright-eyed as they found themselves home once more.

"I'm okay, I swear," Chihiro groaned as she rubbed the top of her head, then shook it and regained her vigor, "Last one to the Core's a salty seadog!"

With a mischievous smirk, Chihiro dashed up the stairs with genuine, cheerful laughter as she heard Gill Grunt and Zap's playful shouts of protest behind her. As she arrived at the top of the stairs, she smiled and took a moment to bask in the island's beauty.

Fireflies lit the area like nightlights, and juxtaposed against the purples and blues and pinks of the midnight it almost seemed kinda magical. Then again, this was Skylands—things looking magical was probably to be expected. All around her, the Skylanders and other residents of Ancient's Peak crowded around the Core of Light's base, all filled with a sense of anticipation for the Twin Spouts arrival.

"Chihiro!" Spyro called out as he flew out of the crowd with Master Eon by his side, "I take it the mission went well?"

"We had a few bumps along the road," Gill Grunt interjected as he and Zap joined Chihiro at the stairs' top, "But otherwise it went _swimmingly_, if I say so myself."

Everybody around shared a hearty laugh for a few moments, and as the laughter died Chihiro made an expectant look at Master Eon.

"So, Master Eon…" Chihiro said, her voice a little awkward, "… Did I pass?"

"The mission is not over yet, young Chihiro," Master Eon replied as he floated from Spyro to Chihiro, "We still need to return the Twin Spouts of Ocea-Major-Minor to the Core. Do you have them with you?"

Chihiro made an eager nod, then snagged her makeshift bag from her sweatpants and untied it to unveil the Twin Spouts! She then held them up for all to see and smiled with pride.

"Ta-dah!" Chihiro held the Spouts up just a little higher than before, "I told you I wouldn't let you down!"

"Great, that's one more piece of the Core that's out of Kaos's grubby hands!" Spyro remarked as he turned around, "Hugo, we got 'em!"

"Really?" Hugo shouted as he ran over to the group and basked in the Spouts' glory, "You did! I'll go get the book!"

Hugo ran off as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, while the others joined the crowd in their anticipation. While Master Eon and the others blended in with the others, Chihiro stood at the crowd's front with a tight grasp on the Twin Spouts.

"It's strange, I almost don't wanna let go of them," Chihiro whispered fondly as she rubbed her hands against its top, "It's like they're my trophy or somethin'."

"I'm back!" Hugo called as he raced back into the crowds, book in hand, "Is everyone ready?"

A resounding cheer echoed from everyone else in the crowd as Hugo pushed forward and joined Chihiro at her side. With a shared nod, Chihiro walked up and placed the spouts in the center of the Core's base, then ran back as Hugo recited an incantation in some ancient Skylandian tongue.

As Hugo did this, the Twin Spouts slowly turned and turned until they were set in the base with a loud, resounding click! All was silent for a few moments as the crowd peered at the Twin Spouts…

Then a giant rumble echoed throughout the island!

"What was that?" Chihiro exclaimed as she peered up at the Core of Light and gasped!

There, the giant rock statues that flanked both sides of the Core shuddered, then they grew twice their prior size and returned to being still as statues—pun completely intended—once more!

"We did it!" Chihiro gazed over at the Core with sparkling eyes, then turned around as Master Eon floated beside her.

"Yes, Chihiro! Thanks to you, Gill Grunt and Zap's efforts, we've gained another piece of the Core of Light—and with it, we've grown closer to defeating Kaos," Eon said as his glowing form caused a soft glow to illuminate the dark night, "I can say with all certainty that you have passed your second exam."

"Really?" Chihiro's voice was soft, yet filled with excitement as she gazed at Master Eon and watched him bob up and down, then hugged him tight, "Thank you, Master!"

However, Chihiro's grip on him quickly loosened as she made a yawn, then sat down and curled up into a sleepy ball on the grass. Surely all the excitement of the day must have finally worn her down.

"Fell asleep already, didn't you Chihiro?" Spyro whispered as he nuzzled his head against her forehead, which in turn caused Chihiro to mumble something incoherently in her sleep and turn around.

"I'll take her back up to the bedroom—she must've had a long day." Spyro pulled Chihiro up and placed her on his back before he soared away, "We can talk all about the mission tomorrow."

"Agreed!" a half-asleep Gill Grunt and Zap chimed in as they headed off to the Sanctuaries alongside the slowly-dispersing crowd…

* * *

**Now for that important announcement! CHS will be going on break for a few months—I'd estimate currently that it'll last till late December/early January, though this may change in the future.**

**There's a few reasons for this, but the two main ones are that college is starting back up for me so I'm going to be a lot busier, and my backlog for the story is now down to one chapter—all the other chapters either need to be written out or heavily re-written. Thus, it'll be a lot harder to keep up regular updates without straining myself, so it'll be a lot easier to just go on break and work up a new backlog of chapters to post later!**

**So stay well, don't let Kaos get you and I hope to see you again when the break ends!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, hello, everyone, did you miss me?~ Well fear not, for I have returned with a few more college courses under my belt and a decently-sized chapter backlog, which means CHS comes off of its hiatus! Consider this my early Christmas present to you! (or any other holiday you celebrate if you don't celebrate Christmas, heh)**

**Watch Seeker: Regarding your question, I don't really "ship" Chihiro with any of the 'landers in the traditional sense, but there is one who I see her forming a bond with unlike any other... Who do you think that is?**

* * *

"And then, she just punched the thing like, BLAM! POW! Now tell me, how many people could just take on a fifty-foot monster without even blinking?" Chihiro exclaimed as she reiterated the scene for Spyro and Gill Grunt, complete with exaggerated arm gestures and stances.

"Well, there's a whole island full of them," Spyro remarked as he cast an aside glance to the portal building.

"Well, yeah, but you're a little different—you guys have all these cool powers and stuff, and you've been training to do this kinda stuff for a while. Marisa just's some ordinary girl that got chosen by fate to be some grand hero." Chihiro fell backwards onto the grass with a wistful sigh, "If only I could go on huge, cool adventures like she does…"—Chihiro sprung back up from the grass—"Oh wait, I already am! I'm here on the Skylands with you guys!"

And with that said, all three of them made the kind of hearty laughter that was so warm and friendly that it almost warmed them from the cold autumn chills. But as the laughter died, Chihiro's smile faded while she peeked over at the Far-Viewer, which was being toyed with by an ever-dutiful Hugo.

"You know, I wonder if Hugo found the Eternal Water Source yet—it's been taking him an awful long time."

"Oh, I'm sure he's working on it, Chihiro." Spyro swiped a paw at nothing, "The Far-Viewer may be able to locate any magical artifact, but it's not perfect—especially given that—"

"Yeah, I know, it's old and stuff." Chihiro beamed and waved back at Spyro and Gill Grunt, "Anywho, I'm going to pester Hugo now! See'ya!"

Chihiro dashed across to the Far-Viewer… Which was notably unmanned. Strange, wasn't Hugo just there a few seconds ago? Chihiro frowned as she toyed with the Far-Viewer's control panel, then peered inside its telescope… Only to jump back and gasp with excitement.

"HUGO! HUGO!" Chihiro called at the top of her lungs as she dashed across the autumn leaf-covered grass and waved her arms, "HUGO, YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I—OOF!"

Mid-transit, however, Chihiro saw something brown and green and furry that was right in her path—but she couldn't stop, for she was going too fast! The two parties collided in a flash and tumbled over each other in a haphazard collision course!

"Owch!" Chihiro trained her eyes on her feet with a scorning look before she looked up, "Hugo, watch where you're going!"

But instead of looking back at her, Hugo just brushed off his jacket and pulled himself back up.

"Chihiro, what were you running for?" Hugo asked as he gave Chihiro a very impatient look, tired eyes, cross frowns and all.

"If you must know." Chihiro scoffed before she dusted herself off and stood up, "I was trying to find you because I found something really important on the Far-Viewer!"

The very mention of the Far-Viewer caused Hugo's eyes to light up!

"That reminds me!" Hugo grabbed Chihiro's hand and lead her over to the Far-Viewer, "I had something important to show you as well!"

Hugo gently nudged Chihiro's shoulder as if he was prompting her to look inside. But, before either of them did, they both glazed each other down and beamed.

"I finally found the Eternal Water Source!" Hugo and Chihiro announced in unison… Then made double takes.

Chihiro then took another peek inside the Far-Viewer and frowned. This time around, it had focused on a sandy beach island with tropical trees and a grassy landscape that was, alas, infested with pirates. However, beneath the oceans, one could just barely spot a bright, blue glow…

"Hey, Hugo, how do you zoom in on this thing?" Chihiro asked as she twisted knobs and pressed buttons while she gazed.

"Chihiro, don't press that, you might make it—"

Hugo tried to pry Chihiro away with a tense gaze, but it was no use. Chihiro stood steadfast at the Far-Viewer, more interested in it than Hugo trying to take her away.

"Found it!"

Chihiro held down a blood-colored button down as she twisted a copper knob, then beamed as the Far-Viewer's focus transferred to the ocean depths!

There, cradled within the waters of the ocean, was an oval no larger than a wide dinner plate! It glowed in a shade of blue so striking that it stuck out well against the ocean's dark depths, and a sloshing pool of water was carried within it. It radiated with an intense Water Element magic that could be felt even from where Hugo and Chihiro stood at the Far-Viewer, miles and miles away from the oval's actual location.

"Alrighty! Now that we've found it…" Chihiro toyed around with the Far-Viewer's controls and watched as it zoomed out, "Let's figure out where this place is!"

As Chihiro fixed her view on the island once more, she spotted and focused on a sign that seemed to be long-forgotten with its splintered wood and fading paint. She zoomed in on it, but as zooming in didn't make the text any less unreadable she could only squint and try to make out the words.

"Viathan Lagoon?" Chihiro turned around to face Hugo, "Now who would name a lagoon Viathan? Was that guy the mayor of the island or something?"

"Chihiro, that isn't the island's actual name." Hugo's eyes widened, "What you're referring to is Leviathan Lagoon!"

"Leviathan Lagoon?" Chihiro stepped down from the Far-Viewer so that she was eye-to-eye with Hugo, "What's that?"

"Well, Chihiro." Hugo took a deep breath and gained a slightly calmer disposition, though he still trembled just a bit.

"Leviathan Lagoon was, once upon a time, the birthplace of a famous aquatic circus." Hugo focused on Chihiro as he toyed with his lapel, "People came far and wide for the dancing starfish, the clownfish, the tiger shark tamers, but most of all, they came for the Leviathan—a huge, monstrous fish that according to legend would eat entire villages for breakfast!"

Chihiro's eyes widened as Hugo spoke. Surely, she could just envision it—the cheers, the scent of freshly-baked popcorn, the feeling of the wooden bleachers… But most of all, the sheer excitement of seeing the Leviathan be unveiled for the final act!

"And then what happened?!" Chihiro asked, so excited that she could barely stand.

"Well, the Leviathan ended up eating one too many people during its act. As it turns out, having a carnivorous sea monster in your circus act and allowing people to feed it isn't the wisest idea." Hugo stepped up to the Far-Viewer and peered inside, "So, the ringmaster released the Leviathan into the island's oceans and made his act into a traveling circus. Since then, Leviathan Lagoon has been off-limits to the general public."

Hugo paused for a moment to zoom out of the sign and get a view around the island.

"And for that matter, that includes those pirates!" Hugo's gaze narrowed as his mouth twisted into a frown, "How they got here, I'm not quite sure—they weren't here when I checked a little while ago."

"I'll bet five bucks that we know the answer to that." Chihiro casually kicked her feet against the autumn leaves and dove her hands into her jacket, "Well, not actually since I don't have five bucks on hand, but you get what I'm talking about, right?"

"Unfortunately…" Hugo bit his lip as he stepped away from the Far-Viewer, "Kaos must have found the Source and sent those pirates to guard it from potential thieves—namely, us!"

"True, which brings me to my next point." Chihiro turned in the next direction and got ready to speed off, "Why are we standing around here when we should be defeating Kaos?!"

"Hold on, Chihiro—" Hugo stopped short as Chihiro dashed away to the portal room and left a cloud of dust and disturbed autumn leaves in her wake, "Aaand she's gone,"—Hugo sighed and hung his furry head—"Can she stay in one place for more than five minutes? Probably not."

As Hugo lifted his head, another shout erupted from the portal room in an ever-familiar voice—a shout so loud it could probably be heard all the way in the Outlands!

"HUGOOOOOOO! I NEED YOU HELP WITH SOMETHING!"

"Coming, Chihiro." Hugo shook his head, then walked over to the portal building.

§

"Am I a salesman?" Chihiro sputtered out with disgust as she stared into the portal, "No I am not a salesman, do I _sound_ like I'm trying to sell you something?!"

"Chihiro, what did you need me for?" Hugo asked as he walked into the brick-walled portal room.

There Chihiro stood in front of the main portal, her gaze focused on the center where colors of all shades and hues swirled around… And she seemed to be talking to someone?

"Oh, there you are, Hugo!" Chihiro turned around to face him and smiled for but a moment, then directed her gaze back on the portal.

"Can you tell this guy that no, I am not trying to sell him shaving cream or whatever he said and get us permission to go to the island? Cause it seems that no matter what I say, he won't have a word of it!"

"Wait, you can't just portal there?" Hugo walked over to the center and peered in.

Chihiro gave him a flustered glare.

"Does it look like I didn't try that already?!" Chihiro's glare loosened as she peered down, "Actually, I didn't. I mean, I was about to, but this guy showed up and said there was a block on portals here or something and I had to identify myself!"

"Well, that's certainly a predicament." Hugo indicated the portal with his paw, "Portals link locations through an entirely different dimension. If someone could reach into that pocket dimension and block that area of it off, and if they're working for Kaos like we speculate…"

Chihiro hummed as she looked over at Hugo, then shrugged.

"Well, no harm in testing."

Chihiro turned her eyes back to the portal then narrowed them as she raised her arms. With a slap against the stone border and a wide-eyed gaze, Chihiro attempted to create a portal… But what came instead was a bright explosion!

After the explosion died, Chihiro and Hugo both found themselves covered from head to toe in shiny, iridescent magic dust! The two of them shook off the ash and watched it vanish into thin air, then Chihiro gave Hugo the most tired glare she could muster.

"Looks like that didn't work," Hugo remarked as he placed a furry finger to his chin.

"Gee, you think?" Chihiro's voice dripped with sarcasm before she looked over the portal, "Now, how the heck are we going to get to the island?"

The two of them stared at each other for mere moments, then Chihiro's eyes widened as she snapped her fingers.

"Wait, Gurglefin has a ship!"

Chihiro beamed as Hugo nodded, then she turned and made headway for the beach.

"Why didn't I think of that earlier?" Chihiro's voice echoed around the stone halls, "I'm sure he'd be willing to take us there after all we've done for him and all!"

§

"Nope! There is no way, no how that I'm going there!" Gurglefin shouted as he shook his head back and forth, his arms crossed.

"But, Gigglefin, we need to get there, that's where the Eternal Water Source!" Chihiro pleaded as she fell to her knees and peered up at Gurglefin with the saddest puppy-dog eyes she could make.

"First off, it would help your case if you got my name right for once." Gurglefin gave Chihiro a tired stare as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Second off, I'd love to help you get the Ethereal Source of Water or whatever it's called, but I am not going to Leviathan Lagoon!" Fear sneaked into Gurglefin's voice as he gulped and looked over the oceans, "After all, that place is called _Leviathan_ Lagoon for a reason!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Chihiro smiled as she stood back up and shrugged, "But how bad can a giant, carnivorous monster that could eat whole villages for breakfast be?"

"_Very_ bad?"

"Eh, not really. Look, I'm sure that thing is probably nothing—so are you gonna take us or not?"

Chihiro frowned as Gurglefin fearfully shook his head.

"Come on, _pleaseee_?"

Gurglefin continued to shake.

"Chihiro!" Hugo shouted as he ran down the beach's stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him, his breath heavy all the way, "Were you able to convince Gurglefin to take you there?"

"Does it look like I was able to convince him?" Chihiro asked as she pointed towards Gurglefin, who was now hiding behind a crate.

"Here, let me talk to him then." Hugo pushed though Chihiro and knelt down to Gurglefin's height, which actually wasn't too far from Hugo's own.

"Gurglefin, you do know where Leviathan Lagoon is, right?" Hugo watched Gurglefin nodded his head.

"Good, then you can take them!" Hugo clasped his hands together while he watched Gurglefin rapidly shake.

"B-but—" Gurglefin raised a finger, then drew it back down.

"Well, better get going then!" Hugo turned back to Chihiro with an oddly smug look on his face, "We don't want Kaos to make off with the Water Source!"

"You picked that up from me, didn't you?" Chihiro teased with a cock of her eyebrow.

"Who else?" Hugo teased back as he nudged Chihiro towards the stairs, "Now, you'd better tell the Skylanders that we're ready to go. The Eternal Water Source isn't going to return itself, much as we'd like it to!"

Chihiro chirped then dashed up the stairs and to the central part of the island.

"Hey guys!" Chihiro shouted with a wave that earned her the attention of each Skylander in the area, "Looks like we've got a ride!"

"Really?" Zap gargled as he ran to the forefront of the Skylanders that crowded around Chihiro.

"Hugo managed to talk Gurglefin into giving us a ride to the Lagoon!" Chihiro hastily nodded, then peered over her choices, "Now, to decide who's going."

About half of the Skylanders were crowded around her at the moment. It was surprisingly light on crime today, so many of them were assigned to guard the island—which was just enough of a varied pool for Chihiro! She hummed a bit, then pointed to Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell.

"Gill, Whammy, you're with me." Chihiro's tone was orderly, but still held some youthful excitement in its grasp, "The rest of you can just sit tight! We'll have the source back in no time."

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell came to Chihiro's side, then all the three of them nodded.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Chihiro backed up without even a moment spent to turn around, "I—excuse me, _we—_have an Eternal Source to—WHOA!"

Of course, not paying attention has its consequences—and for Chihiro, this meant falling down the stairs with a resounding shout of pain exclaimed from every bump she gained as she fell down!

As soon as the shouts stopped, Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell peered down the stairs.

Down at their bottom Chihiro had plopped face-first in the sand and staggered upwards, then spat out a faceful of sand.

"I'm fine, just a little slip." Chihiro's voice carried the slightest hint of pain as she gave them a thumbs up.

Her message taken as a good sign, the two of them came racing down the stairs and joined Chihiro at her side.

"You _sure_ you're alright, Chihiro?" Wham-Shell asked as he picked up Chihiro and gave her a concerned gaze.

"Yeah, Whammy, it's just a little fall," Chihiro said, though the crack in her voice betrayed her weakness.

"Well, just take it easy, Chi." Wham-Shell frowned Chihiro just passed it off with a giggle, "I don't want you getting hurt."

"You don't need to worry about me!" Chihiro smiled as the pain faded from her voice, "If anything, you should be worrying about those pirates that are gonna get a thrashing when we get there!"

As Chihiro punched and kicked the air while she made all sorts of fight scene noises, Wham-Shell rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Just be careful." Wham-Shell gave her one last concerned glance, then smiled as she squeezed his hand tight.

The two of them then went after Gill Grunt, who had already reached Delilah's parking spot and currently held a chat with Gurglefin.

"Gill! Is Gurglefin ready to shove off yet?" Chihiro shouted as she leaned over and waved her arms.

"Actually, it's Gurglefin!" Gurglefin corrected as he gave Chihiro a look of disdain.

"But, that's what I said." Chihiro gave Gurglefin a confused look then shrugged.

"Yep!" Gill Grunt proclaimed as he pushed past Gurglefin, "We just need to get on and he'll take us straight there!"

"Not saying I'll enjoy it," Gurglefin added under his breath as he ignored the others' faces of excitement, "But…"

"Hey Gurgles!" Chihiro shouted, her smile wide and her voice perky as she pushed herself next to Gurglefin.

"Er, hello there." Gurglefin shivered, then waved to Chihiro.

"So, you gonna start sailin' or not, Gurgly?" Chihiro tilted her head while her smile receded into something that vaguely resembled a cat's mouth, "'Cause—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, the Ethereal Source of Water or whatever won't wait all day." Gurglefin turned and looked at Delilah, "And neither will,"—Gurglefin gulped—"The Leviathan!"

"Oh hush, it's just a big fish!" Chihiro slapped Gurglefin on the back, then frowned as he screamed out.

"B-but, its gigantic! In fact, it's the size of a sky whale!" Gurglefin addressed Chihiro with a fearful gaze and trembling hands, only to frown as she laughed it off…

"Look, Gurglefin." Chihiro relaxed her shoulders, "I was born in a town where they sold giant fish in the marketplace for two thousand four hundred eighty-three yen a pop! That Leviathan is probably nothing!"—Chihiro passed by Gurglefin and looked over at Delilah—"Now, when are we headed off?"

"Right now."

With a sigh, Gurglefin peered over to Delilah and whistled, then watched as she released the plank.

Chihiro, ever so eager to get the adventure started, dashed up the board and raced around the deck a few times before she took notice of the steering wheel. With a giggle, she reached out her hand and was about ready to touch the side of the wheel… Right when a seafoam green fin slapped it away!

"Not today you aren't," Gurglefin scolded as he gave Chihiro the stink eye and shook a webbed finger at her.

"You guys are no fun sometimes." Chihiro pouted and stuffed her hands into her pockets, then noted Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell.

As she saw them take their seats, Chihiro gained a dangerously excited grin on her face—the kind that was fueled by caffeine and unkempt energy, the kind of look that screamed mischief and mayhem.

"Hey guys!" Chihiro swung over to where the three of them sat down and were deep in conversation, "Wanna stand on the mast and see how long it takes for us to fall off?"

The two of them looked at each other with confused glances, and then looked back at Chihiro with those same confused expressions pasted on their faces.

"We'd love too, Chihiro, but that sounds a little…" Wham-Shell said before he pursed his lips and looked over at Gill Grunt, "Er, what's the word I'm looking for here?"

"Unsafe?" Gill Grunt suggested as he watched Wham-Shell nod—though is was hard to tell since Wham-Shell had no neck.

"Yeah, that's about right." Wham-Shell looked over at Chihiro, who shrugged and sat down.

"Heh, just kidding," Chihiro remarked as she stretched her arms and beamed, her tongue stuck out in a teasing manner, "Well, guys—"

"Chihiro, before you go off suggesting anything," Wham-Shell interrupted as he drummed his claws against the deck, "Do you have anything in mind that won't result in certain death?"

"Well…" Chihiro placed a finger to her cheek and made a sly smile, "I could tell you about Beautiful Remedy for the next hour or so?"

Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt looked at each other for a moment and shrugged.

"Well, you never did tell me how that nightmare kingdom story ended," Gill Grunt remarked with a gentle smile.

"Go ahead, Chi. Enthrall us," Wham-Shell said with a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

Chihiro's smile grew the widest they had seen, and she let out a shrill scream of delight that caused everybody around to cover their ears.

"THANK YOU THANK YOU! THANK YOU! NOBODY'S EVER ASKED ME TO CONTINUE BEFORE!" Chihiro squealed as she bounced up and down on the deck, "Anyway, where was I at before we started?"—Chihiro snapped her fingers after a few moments of thought—"Oh right!"

Before Chihiro could speak, however, they all heard something lurch forward and rolled across the deck!

"We must've hit the edge of the island!" Wham-Shell shouted as he grabbed onto the deck's pole and held on tight, "Gill, Chihiro, you alright?"

With a grunt of pain Gill Grunt slammed face-first into the pole and wrapped his scaly arms around it. His panting were heavy as he lifted up his head, which now had a giant, purple bruise right where he had slammed his face.

"I'm fine, I swear," Gill Grunt panted as he looked around, "Wait, where's Chihiro?"

The two of them heard a scream, then looked down to find that Chihiro had fallen further down—MUCH further down. She had slammed against the back of the deck's leftmost tip, her back against the wood as she tried to climb back up… But it wasn't working. The further she climbed, the more the wind pushed her back, right until she was just inches away from falling off!

"Chihiro!" Wham-Shell shouted before he let go of the pole and dropped down.

As he fell to where Chihiro was, Wham-Shell corkscrewed himself over to where she laid and grabbed her off the edge, then pulled them both to a safer part of the deck.

"You're lucky, Chihiro," Wham-Shell panted as he sat down and caught his breath, "This ship's way too dangerous, I—"—Wham-Shell's eyes shot up as he snapped his claws—"Dangerous! _That_ was the word I was looking for!"

Wham-Shell turned back to address Chihiro, but Chihiro only looked away with a frown, like her mind was completely elsewhere.

"Hey, Whammy, do you feel like you're moving?" Chihiro asked as she looked back at Wham-Shell.

Wham-Shell frowned, then stopped and thought for a moment—but that moment wasn't enough to response.

Why, one may ask, was that not enough time?

That was because while Wham-Shell tried to keep Chihiro from seeing her life flash before her eyes, Gurglefin had plunged Delilah straight down the waterfall! Thanks to the rapid speed of the plunge, Wham-Shell and Chihiro tumbled down the deck and onto the mast! The two of them wrapped their arms around the mast and clung to it as hard as they could—understandably, given that their grasp on it was the only thing that kept them from plummeting to their deaths.

"Heh, guess we got to play 'Who-can-stay-on-the-mast-for-the-longest' after all Whammy!" Chihiro shouted with an uneasy grin on her face.

"Not right now!" Wham-Shell shouted back as his arms struggled to keep from slipping off the wooden mast while the ship hit the skies.

As her grip on the mast slipped slightly, Chihiro let out a shrill scream and hastily pulled herself back up. Once she was safely wrapped around it, she breathed a sigh of relief… Only to peer down at the endless sky below her and gulp.

Wham-Shell dug his claws into the mast's wooden surface and pulled himself back up onto the top of the mast. His balance careful, he knelt down and grabbed Chihiro's hand from the mast before he tossed her back onto the deck.

"You alright, Chihiro?" Wham-Shell asked as he jumped onto the deck and sat down.

"Somehow." Chihiro briskly nodded her head and stood, "Y'know, that was actually pretty fun! Let's do it again—"

"NO." Wham-Shell promptly fell on his back.

§

"And then, right as everything seems to be going right, the big villain shows up and blasts Monika to bites and then Marisa breaks down crying!" Chihiro rambled, complete with exaggerated stances and hand gestures, "And honestly, I almost did that too, because honest to goodness, Marisa cares about Monika sooooo much, and seeing Monika nearly die in front of her just broke me."

Chihiro made a highly exaggerated weep as she swooned onto the deck.

"But get this…" Chihiro sprung back up and grinned, "It was all an illusion! Monika got a new power and then they sent him running with his tail between his legs!"

"And I take it Marisa and Monika are good friends?" Gill Grunt asked with a gentle smile as he watched Chihiro's eyes sparkle.

"Oh they're more than just friends, Gill, they're _totally_ lovers." Chihiro had gotten so excited that she edged closer to Gill Grunt until she was in straight in his face, "In fact, Marisa and Monika are meant for each other and anyone who says otherwise is a filthy liar!"

"Are we there yet?" Wham-Shell groaned as he laid down on the deck with only half a mind paid to their conversation.

"Hey, that's my line!" Chihiro shouted as she let out a humph, "Anyways, I doubt we'll be there any time soon—looks like it's just ocean and ocean and more ocean,"—Chihiro got up and peered over the deck only to spy vast oceans and more, then turned back around—"Yep."

Chihiro turned her attention back to Gill Grunt.

"Anyways, Gill, it's totally true love, I can tell. In fact, I have two seasons' worth of evidence!"

Chihiro took a deep breath, the widest smile on her face.

"So, my first piece of evidence, and arguably the best piece, would have to be—" Before she could finish her speech, Chihiro was tossed onto her back as the ship lurched to a halt.

"Hey, I don't know if you noticed or not, but we're here!" Gurglefin shouted from across the steering wheel.

Chihiro stood up and peered over the edge, where sure enough, they had arrived onto the beach shores of Leviathan Lagoon!

The island looked a bit fancier now that they had arrived on its shores—there was grass all around the area with only a few chunks of area that were entirely sandy beach. Each one of these areas was decorated with rickety wooden bridges and fancy red and yellow stone pillars, like the beach level of some semi-obscure game. And of course, there were pirates in all shapes and sizes everywhere you turned!

"Ugh, great—_pirates_." Gurglefin moaned as he banged his head against Delilah's steering wheel, "Like I didn't get enough of these guys back at the Cove."

"Cove?" Wham-Shell repeated as he looked at Gill Grunt.

"It's a long story," Gill Grunt replied with a tired tone as he returned Wham-Shell's gaze.

"Guess my Marimoni evidence essay will have to wait for later!" Chihiro shouted as she watched the plank proceed out from the ship and run down onto the island below.

Once she was situated, she gazed down at the crystal oceans that enveloped the island as if there was something odd brewed beneath its surface-level beauty…

Wham-Shell stood up, dashed to Chihiro's side and peered over the edge with her. Together, they saw the image of a giant blue fish the size of ten whales as it swam underneath them, its shadow a dark blue, inky stain against the crystalline waters of the ocean blue.

"Think that's the Leviathan?" Chihiro asked as she looked over to Wham-Shell.

Gurglefin gulped in the background.

"Wouldn't doubt it," Wham-Shell replied as he looked over at Chihiro, "It's certainly big enough. Thing's probably the size of two Sky Whales!"

Gurglefin gulped again.

"Well…" Chihiro frowned as she looked over the shadow once more, then stood up and made a shrug, "It doesn't seem like it's going to bug us right now. Best we get going before it changes its mind!"

And with that said, Chihiro dashed down the road ahead before any protests could be made!

"Jeez, kid." Wham-Shell chuckled turned to address Gill Grunt, who nodded and started up his water jetpack, "Hey Gill, does she act like this when she's around you?"

Gill Grunt cracked a wry smile and a laugh.

"All the time, Wham. All the time," Gill Grunt replied as he hovered down the plank.

As the two of them left Gurglefin behind, Gurglefin only sputtered and made an awkward grin.

"Well, uh, I'll just stay here and guard the ship for you! And if you see any giant killer fish…" Gurglefin looked over the ocean and shuddered, then turned back to the island as he raised his voice, "DON'T call me!"

§

Chihiro dashed and darted across the island, all in expectancy of some kind of sign as to where the Eternal Water Source was located… But with no luck. All she saw across the islands was grass, sand, seashells, more grass, more sand, the occasional crab… Where on Earth would that source be?

"There's gotta be some kind of puzzle behind this whole thing," Chihiro said to herself as she tapped her foot, "Now, if I were Kaos, what kind of puzzle would I use in order to protect something that could very well bring about my downfall?"

As Chihiro contemplated, a gigantic wave of sand kicked up out of nowhere and slammed right in her face!

"THE HECK?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she coughed out gritty grains of sand, "What was that all about?!"

Chihiro perked up as a shrill giggle resounded not that far away from her and looked ahead. The giggle's owner was none other than an imp with a black statue held tightly in its arms! It looked a lot like those imps she had seen back at Dark Water Cove, but its skin was tomato red as opposed to yellow and its eyes were completely blank! Kinda reminded her a bit of devils in cartoons, to be honest.

The imp cackled as it balled straight into Chihiro and knocked her face-first onto the sand, then stuck its tongue out at her before it ran into a giant blue vortex and disappeared.

As she coughed out the sand once more, Chihiro squinted her eyes open and watched as a mob of pirates ran in that same direction.

"Get that imp!" Shouted the mob's head, a squid dressed in raggedy striped shirts and a crimson bandanna.

"What for?" Chihiro asked as her eyes trailed across to the head of a mob, a smirk played on her face.

"It's got one of the statues guarding the Eternal Source!" The pirate kept his eyes focused on the road ahead with no mind paid to Chihiro, "And we were specifically told to keep anyone who came here from getting those statues by Cap'n Kaos!"

"Okay thanks bye!" Chihiro dashed off in front of the mob, then paused for a moment to wave at them before she jumped into the vortex!

The moment she jumped in, she was spun and swirled and stretched around like the laundry in the washer—she now completely empathized with how her clothes felt when she did the laundry! As she screamed and yelped in surprise, her eyes drew themselves towards a shining white light… Then she was spat out of a small, red house placed on a bridge atop a steep cliff.

Chihiro grunted as she fell face-first onto the dirt, then sat up and brushed off her face before she looked down. There below her were the pirates she had talked to earlier, except they now seemed to be… Arguing among themselves?

"Hey Hookface, unless ye want to get fed to Cap'n Kaos's Doomsharks, ye'd better get going!" Shouted one of the other pirates from the mob front.

"But me could've sworn me knew that kid from somewhere…" Said the squid who was presumably Hookface as he placed a hand to his chin.

Chihiro chuckled as she watched them argue, then heard a snicker and looked to her side… Only to find that she wasn't alone! The imp she had been chasing was now beside her, statue still in hand! The imp pulled down its eyelid and stuck its tongue out, then cackled as Chihiro's face turned cherry rage with anger.

"Get back here, dude!" Chihiro exclaimed as she scrambled after the imp…

Only for it to jump out of the way and cause Chihiro to slam face-first onto the ground. Chihiro shook her head, shot up, then leaped after the imp once more.

The imp gasped with wide eyes, tossed something in the house and watched as a vortex appeared before it! It cackled once more and went to leap—but Chihiro managed to grab its leg before it did!

"Give me that statue, buddy!" Chihiro tightened her grasp on the imp's leg, "Or I won't let you go!"

As Chihiro pulled the imp closer to her, the imp grunted and tried to scramble away—but it was no use. The more it tugged, the tighter Chihiro held onto its leg, until they were both trapped in a fruitless game of tug-of-war! Finally, the imp yowled out as it kicked the back of Chihiro's arms and finally pushed itself out of her grip! The imp snickered for a few minutes as it jumped to freedom…

But when it did, the statue slipped out of its grasp and fell straight into the vortex!

Both Chihiro and the imp could only watch with wide eyes and gaped mouths as the statue slid into the vortex and disappeared along with the vortex itself! The two of them turned to each other in fury, then Chihiro picked up the imp by the scruff of its neck.

"Look what you did!" Chihiro exclaimed as she glared down the imp who thrashed about in her grasp, "You lost the—"

Chihiro stopped short as she heard something that sounded like… Conversation? Yeah, definitely conversation in the distance—which gave the imp enough time to wiggle free of her grip, create a new vortex and escape!

"Hey, get back here!" Chihiro turned to her side and saw the imp dive through the vortex, but by the time she jumped after it she was far too late.

All she could do was crash headfirst into the walls of the tiny house as the vortex became little more than a wisp of dullish blue smoke.

As she groaned and held her head, Chihiro felt around the ground only to feel her hand land on something kinda bumpy and leather-y. She took a peek over at it, and found her hand on a small, brown leather sack that was filled well with a bunch of small, round things that gave the bottom a bumpy texture.

"Did that imp drop this?" Chihiro picked up the sack and examined it, only to hear footsteps and gasp.

"I swear on me world, me sure that's it, cap'n!" shouted an awfully familiar voice from the outside world, "That was the kid from the Cove!"

"The portal master kid?" Replied another, deeper voice.

"Yep! Same looks 'n everythin', the kid had!"

_They're talking about me! _Chihiro sucked on her lip while beads of sweat dripped down her forehead, _Crap, I need to get out of here, fast!_

"C'mon, teleport…" Chihiro tried to focus, "Telepo—ACK!"

Chihiro's heart practically jumped out of her chest as she bumped her elbow against the walls of the house—geez, whose idea was it to make it so tiny, anyways?

"Cap'n, methinks me heard somethin'!" Hookface exclaimed from outside, "Think it's that no-good thieving imp?"

"Oh who knows, Hookface?" Shouted back the captain.

_Please don't come in here, _Chihiro thought as she curled into a ball and made herself as small as possible, _Please, please, please…_

"Me heard it from this lil' house 'ere!" Hookface remarked as the sound of wet, slapping tentacles drew closer… And closer… And closer…

Then a squiddy head peered through the open door of the house and straight at Chihiro. The two of them stared at each other in silence for all of five seconds, then Chihiro screamed and blasted Hookface away with a giant energy beam! As Hookface flew in the distance, Chihiro teleported out of the house and right onto the ledge—which was now coated with a mob of pirates.

"Hookface was right fer once, it really is the kid!" Shouted a gruff seadog in a red velvet pirate jacket as he reached for his cutlass, "Get 'em!"

"Not today you don't!" Chihiro exclaimed as she held up both hands and watched as they were enveloped by a blue glow, "I'm not goin' down without a fight!"

"Neither are we, laddie!" The seadog withdrew his cutlass and dashed for Chihiro!

Chihiro made a surprised peep, then dodged out of the way as giant, magical blue gloves formed around her hands! With a wide smile, Chihiro skidded forward and punched the seadog right in the gut! With a smile, she watched as rolled down the cliff with a cry of anguish.

But the battle wasn't over yet! The other pirates all jumped forward towards Chihiro, but Chihiro continued to punch them away. While the pirates flew into the distance, Chihiro created a barrier in front of her and hit the barrier with a mighty blow! The barrier slid forwards at max speed with all the pirates on its side, then slid straight off the island!

As a loud THUNK was heard followed by groans, Chihiro dusted her hands and watched as the gloves disappeared. Her attention then followed the leather sack she still held in her hands as she opened it with a curious hum—what could possibly be inside? Treasure? Magic artifacts? Or maybe…

"Marbles?" Chihiro remarked as she peered inside and fished one of the objects out.

Sure enough, it was a dull, bluish-purple colored marble decorated with ripples that shone against the afternoon sunlight. It was smooth and cool in Chihiro's hand, and within its confines was a dusty, swirling smoke cloud. Maybe it was a magic marble?

"What would that imp do with marbles?" Chihiro asked as she tossed the marble up and down in her hand for a few spells, then threw it in front of her person.

As it screeched across the cliff, the marble cracked and exploded in a puff of smoke which soon turned into a swirling, churning vortex about the size of her entire person!

Chihiro stood with her mouth agape for a few moments, then she tied the sack to her sweatpants with her eyes fixed on the vortex.

"Looks like I found my answer."

With a gulp, Chihiro ran forward and jumped into the vortex.

§

"So, did you see where she ran off to?" Wham-Shell asked as he stretched his arms up above his head.

Gill Grunt frowned as he looked over the path before them—nothing but open fields and beaches decorated with palm trees but otherwise almost completely void of life. And no sign of Chihiro, either…

"I'll take that as a no." Wham-Shell's voice held a hint of concern to it as he gripped his mace tighter.

Gill Grunt mused over the path before him once more—it had diverged into twin pathways that lead to two different islands, all covered by a canopy of tall, broad palm trees. But more importantly, the grass had given way to sandy paths that held…

"FOOTSTEPS!" Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell exclaimed in unison as they gazed over the twin trails of footsteps.

It was tricky—but of them had human-looking foot shapes, so Chihiro could've gone down either one. But which one was it…

"I think she went that way." Gill Grunt pointed a webbed finger at the righthand pathway.

"No, she went that way!" Wham-Shell pointed to the opposite side and glared down Gill Grunt.

"I'm sure of it, Wham, she went down this one!" Gill Grunt's face darkened a bit as he stared down Wham-Shell, tension thick in the air like churned butter.

The two of them shot tense glares at each other for a few moments, then…

"You know what, Wham?" Gill Grunt took a deep breath, a fin placed on his forehead, "This isn't really worth arguing over. How about we just split up and regroup when we find her?"

Wham-Shell mused over this for a moment.

"Yeah, that works." Wham-Shell nodded—or at least, did the best nod that he could've with his bodily structure.

And with that said, the two of them parted ways—Wham-Shell down the leftmost path, Gill Grunt down the rightmost. Gill Grunt narrowed his eyes as he resumed his search for Chihiro, his harpoon gun raised up slightly just in case he ran into a few unfriendly faces.

"She's gotta be around here somewhere." Gill Grunt locked and loaded his cannon absentmindedly, "Now, if I were Chihiro, where would I—"

"See that imp anywhere, cap'n?"

Gill Grunt's fins perked up as the sound of a gruff voice that spoke in some kind of strange dialect. A strangely familiar dialect, at that…

"Not that I ken tell," Replied another gruffy voice as something furry stepped between the trees, "Thing took off with the statue 'fore me could even catch a wee glimpse!"  
_Pirates! _Gill Grunt realized as he gazed through the trees with a dour frown, _Just the thing I need._

And with his focus on avoiding their attention, Gill Grunt pushed past the palms to try and find a hiding place—only for something to roll off of a palm tree and bonk him on the head! Gill Grunt groaned as he fell on his rump, his head a'spin as his vision turned shaky and blurry. When he came to his senses, he looked down to find a small, black statue with ruby eyes in the shape of some kind of strange canine creature's head had landed right in his lap!

"Hey cap'n, we've found some'un!" shouted a gruff voice from ahead of Gill Grunt!

Gill Grunt yanked his head up and found the very last thing he wanted to see—a mob of pirates in all shapes and sizes! Each one was covered in bandannas, tattoos, and any other kind of piratey gear one can imagine, and none of them looked particularly happy with Gill Grunt's sudden appearance.

"Hey, Hookface, don't we recognize this guy?" asked a feline-looking pirate draped in gold and jewels to a squid pirate covered from head to toe in striped clothing.

"I'd recognize him anywhere—it's one of them Skylandees!" Hookface replied as he made a narrowed glare, "Because of this Skylandee here, we lost those Golden Spouts!"—Hookface stormed up to Gill Grunt's front and pushed his tentacle in Gill Grunt's face—"Do ye know what happened to the cap'n when that Kaos fella found out we failed?"

Hookface snarled at Gill Grunt, then his eyes trailed lower and took notice of the black statue in Gill Grunt's arms.

"And he's been stealin' our statues too!" Hookface's eyes widened before he drew out a blunderbuss, "Get'em boys!"

And with that command heard the pirates all drew their weapons, whether they be hand-cannons or cutlasses, daggers or swords! There were so many of them, it would be hard to fight them off with sheer strength and will alone—Gill Grunt sure got himself into a heck of a pickle.

_Great, Gill, just the kind of thing you wanted to avoid, _Gill Grunt thought as he instinctively reached for his harpoon gun… But it wasn't there, just grass! Had he dropped it when he got hit by that weird statue?

Gill Grunt whipped his head around as the pirates cackled, then he heard the sound of a gun cocking and gulped! He quickly jiggled his jetpack and dashed off on a stream of hot water as the pirates fired, then wove his way into the forest.

"HE'S TRYIN' TO ESCAPE, MATEYS! AFTER 'IM!"

The pirates all cried out as they shot off their guns, which only made Gill Grunt fly away faster. Ammunition crackled and blasted just underneath his feet as he ran, but he couldn't worry about that. He was more concerned about finding his harpoon gun and getting out of here.

_Now, where did it fall… _Gill Grunt thought as he scanned over the forestation, his eyes trained for any sight of a familiar blue… Only to lose his train of thought as something whizzed right through his jetpack's water stream and nearly hit him in the foot!

Gill Grunt pulled his legs up just in time to avoid any harm, but his jetpack wasn't as lucky—the disruption caused by the ammo had messed with his flight! As he started to veer away left, Gill Grunt frantically pulled on the straps of his jetpack and leaned the opposite way, but the attacks wouldn't stop! Their ammo slammed into the water and made him fly every which way—it was like shooting fish in a barrel! Finally, something else slammed entirely into the barrels of his jetpack and caused him to completely lose his balance. With a surprised cry, his jetpack shot away into the palm forest and sent him tumbling down into the flora.

"OOF!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he hit a giant rock with his head and finally came to a stop.

Gill Grunt lurched up and rubbed the newly-formed welt on his head, then sat down and looked around.

There was nothing but dirt and vegetation wherever he looked—though thankfully, the vegetation was enough to shield him from everyone's view. The only ones that could see him in this humid forest were a couple of mosquitoes and dragonflies.

"Where'd he go, matey?" Asked one pirate from leagues above Gill Grunt.

"Me don't know—he just flew into the forest over there 'n disappeared!" Shouted back another.

"Split up and search for 'im, then!" The sound of footsteps grew louder as the first pirate spoke, "We can't 'ave 'im ruining Cap'n Kaos's plans!"

With a resounding chorus of "AYE AYE!", the footsteps pounded so loudly you'd be forgiven if you thought a herd of sky-elephants had found their way into the island! Clearly they were on the hunt—and Gill Grunt was their target.

_I'd better stay low_, Gill Grunt thought as he laid down on his belly and tried to go as flat as he possibly could, _I can't let them find me._

So, Gill Grunt army-crawled along the forest floor, his eyes trained on the overgrowth as he shielded himself among the giant leaves.

"Ye find 'em yet?" Asked a pirate that sounded oddly close by…

Gill Grunt gasped, then jumped within a giant weed and closed himself up in the leaves. His curiosity overtaken him, he ever-so-slightly pushed away one leaf to see several tall seadog pirates dressed in stripes and bandannas while they all talked away.

"Not yet, matey," replied another as they crossed their arms, "That Skylandee's a slippery lil' fella, and I ain't sayin' that because he's a fish!"

"Whatever, matey." The first pirate pushed past the others, "Just keep seachin', he's gotta be around here somewhere!"

"Aye aye!" The second pirate left with the others close behind.

As they all vacated the premises, Gill Grunt heaved a sigh of relief. Thank the Ancients, they hadn't spotted him at all! Once he was certain they were gone, Gill grunt carefully crept out of the giant weed and looked ahead to spy… Something blue? Yes, something round and dark blue, hidden a little further away in a giant patch of weeds! Could it be?

As he took sanctuary under the plantlife once more, Gill Grunt crawled over to the spot he saw the object at… Then stopped, because right before him was his harpoon gun!

"There you are!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he cradled the harpoon gun in his grasp once more, "I've been looking all over for you!"

Gill Grunt toyed with the trigger just a little bit to see if it still worked. As he squirted out streams of hot water, then sent a harpoon straight into the ocean floor, Gill Grunt smirked—she worked just like a charm! Now, it was time to have some fun.

With a jiggle of his jetpack, Gill Grunt soared above the forest canopy and carefully positioned himself on top of a palm tree. Down below, he spotted two pirates who talked in a conversation inaudible to Gill Grunt's ears, but not like it mattered—he wouldn't be paying them mind for long, anyways.

Gill Grunt carefully positioned his harpoon gun, wrapped his finger around the trigger, then…

SPLASH!

A giant stream of hit water shot out from the barrel and doused one of the pirates! The pirate shook themself off, then yelled some kind of gibberish at their companion. The companion only stared in shock, but not before they were doused in water too! As the two sputtered out in shock, they shook themselves off and ran off in a clearly urgent panic—all paired with shouts that could be heard all over the isle.

"ITS THE CURSE OF THE LEVIATHAN!"

Gill Grunt chuckled as he watched them run along like headless chickenfish, then looked across the floor.

There, a more decorated pirate and their crewmates talked to the pirates he had soaked. Their conversation couldn't be heard from as far up as Gill Grunt was, but it was clear that the more decorated pirate had no tolerance for their crew's shenanigans. But, the crewmates that surrounded them seemed more nervous as they twiddled their thumbs and whistled among themselves. Looks like it was time to make a splash!

Gill Grunt cast the others palms an aside glance, only to catch one that had… Reversed leaves? Gill Grunt hopped along to it and found that he was right—directly above the pirate crew was a palm tree whose leaves were rightside-up rather than upside-down! And it gave him the perfect idea… With a smile, Gill Grunt cocked his harpoon gun and filled up the leaves with water, until the leaves were little more than the casing for a giant pool. Then, he pushed down one of the leaves and watched as a giant waterfall splashed straight onto the pirate crew!

The pirates all screamed in horror as they ran about in sheer panic! The most decorated one of all was the sole voice of reason among the anarchy as they shouted out for the pirates to come back. But, it was of no use—the others were too terrified to listen!

"And now, the finishing touch."

Gill Grunt cocked the barrel of his harpoon gun, then watched as a shiny harpoon popped out. As he held his grip tightly around the trigger and slowly floated down, the harpoon shimmered while its form grew brighter and larger until it was a harpoon no longer.

By the time Gill Grunt's feet hit the ground once more, it had turned into a giant, silver anchor!

The decorated captain had stopped ordering their crew to come back to their senses, but when they turned around and saw Gill Grunt it was far too late—for he already had them all in his crosshairs.

"ANCHORS AWAY!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he released the trigger and shot off the giant anchor!

The anchor soared like an eagle across the beach and caught every single pirate in its wake! All that could be heard was their cries of panic, and then KER-SPLASH as they anchor fell into the ocean with the pirates still attached.

Gill Grunt smiled as he gently rubbed the barrel of his harpoon gun—looks like getting those upgrades from Persephone was a good idea. As he placed the gun to his side, he felt his fin rub against something hard and smooth then looked down to find the obsidian statue! In all the chaos from earlier, he hadn't noticed he had dropped it.

"Better get out of here before I cause any more angry mobs." Gill Grunt picked up the statue then nestled it tightly in his grasp, "I hope Wham's doing better than I am."

§

Wham-Shell narrowed his gaze as he trodded the beaches of Leviathan Lagoon, still intent on his search for Chihiro. However, it seemed that he was out of luck—because he had been searching for what seemed like hours, yet no matter where he turned there was no sight of her.

"Just my luck," Wham-Shell remarked as he looked over the sandy, near-identical sprawls of the beach, "How can a kid her age be so hard to track down? You'd think she'd know how to stay in one place by now!"

Wham-Shell then looked at the path ahead of him, which, now that he looked over it did seem familiar for some reason… Then again, it was hard to tell when everywhere on the beach all that could be seen was endless sand, endless palm bushes and vaguely-identical seashells. Wham-Shell sighed, then looked down at the sand again to find footprints—his footprints.

As soon as the realization struck him, Wham-Shell groaned and cradled his face in his hand.

"And I've been walking around in circles this whole time! Just great."

Wham-Shell's frustration built up even more than before as he peered back at path before him, his face practically plastered into a frown, when he heard whispers.

_Sinister_-sounding whispers.

Wham-Shell knelt down into the palm bushes that surrounded the sandy roads, then peered through the leaves in such a way that wouldn't be noticeable. When he looked ahead, he found a small team of pirates in a group as they discussed something in hushed voices. Unfortunately for them, they weren't hushed enough—Wham-Shell could hear them perfectly clearly.

"They what?!" said one of the many pirates, a burly-looking octopus who wielded a giant anchor.

"The lad and the Gillman, from the coves—they're here to steal the statues that Cap'n Kaos wanted us to protect!" Whimpered a furry dog pirate who was quivering so badly that he could've caused the entire island to shake, "We've already lost two of them, in fact! Me heard from Hookface himself, the gillman, he, he—"

"Calm down, Snarl!" The octopus pirate thwacked Snarl on top of his head and rolled his eyes as Snarl yowled in sheer pain.

"Now, we still have two, so it seems we're at a stalemate. All we have to do is retrieve the other two from their clutches, and we be golden!"

"But that's easier said than done, Tentaclaw!" Snarl's face bore a worried expression as broken fangs poked out from his mouth, "That Gillman's a Skylandee and a formidable one at that! And I bet my booty that the little lad's the portal master Kaos warned us about!"

"So? Portal master or not, that lad's still a little lad all on their own—and against all of us, 'ey'd be absolutely helpless!" Tentaclaw's voice took a haughty tone in his voice, "That lad's fishbait!"

Wham-Shell's eyes widened as he heard Tentaclaw speak, before he dashed out of the bushes and back onto the sands.

"That kid's gonna be the death of me." Wham-Shell's voice was more concerned than griping as he off to hunt down Chihiro once more.

But, he didn't pay attention, and that turned out to be his downfall—literally, as he had tripped over something hidden in the sand and fell on his face. As he groaned and heaved himself up, Wham-Shell brushed away the lump of sand he tripped over and found… A statue? Indeed it was.

What Wham-Shell tripped over was a black statue shaped like some kind of vaguely canine face. It was made entirely of smooth, shiny obsidian that was completed with sparkly ruby eyes. It laid with an almost content feeling around it, as if it was saying, "Are you mad that I tripped you? Well, too bad! It's your fault for not paying attention!"

"Who leaves statues lying around like this anyway?" Wham-Shell picked up the statue and examining its smooth surface in the bright midday light.

As he drew a claw across the onyx statue, Wham-Shell couldn't help but frown—weren't those pirates talking about statues? Well, whatever it was, it probably shouldn't stay where they could find it. So, Wham-Shell stashed the statue under his arm and dashed off, once again on a hunt for Chihiro…

§

However, while the Skylanders were off hunting for Chihiro, she was climbing up palm trees, kicking down coconuts, and doing just about anything to satisfy her temporary boredom while her hunt for the imp continued.

_So much for finding that imp, _Chihiro thought as she kicked her legs against a palm tree's trunk, her person safely nestled into its leafy branches,_ Take one wrong left and you've completely lost the thing!_

With a sigh, Chihiro's eyes gazed over the sandy beaches. For a place that was supposed to be the secret hiding place of a magical artifact, it was awfully quiet around here…

"Now that I think about it, Gill and Wham are probably searching for me." Chihiro thought for a moment before she sighed, "And I don't wanna come back to them empty-handed. I'd better go find this thing,"—Chihiro gently patted the leaves of her palm tree—"So long, palm tree hideout."

Chihiro looked down from the top of the tree, then gulped.

"I really should stop climbing up high places." Chihiro clasped her hands and legs around the trunk and shimmied down slowly and slowly, "Now, don't look down, Chihiro, don't look down…"

Chihiro screwed her eyes completely shut as she climbed down—can't fear what you can't see and all—but as fate would have it, she peered down out of one open eye… And flipped.

"EEK! THAT IS WAY TOO HIGH! WHAT WAS I EVEN THINKING?!"

Chihiro flailed her arms about as she screamed, but hadn't the mind to realize that in her fit of panic that she had let go of the trunk. And in the split-second that she had let go, Chihiro realized that she was no longer attached to the tree and fell into the sands with a yelp of fear. As sand splashed across the shores, Chihiro staggered out and spit out the yellow grains of terror from her mouth.

"This can't possibly get any—"

Before she could finish her sentence, something fell out of the tree and conked Chihiro on the head! This, once again, sent her falling into the shore.

"I stand corrected."

Chihiro stood and grabbed the object from the ground. It was an enchanting-looking obsidian statue with red ruby eyes that seemed to radiate with a kind of magical fascination, the kind that wouldn't let you leave it be. And for that matter, didn't it kinda look like that statue the imp had?...

As she tucked it under her arm, Chihiro dashed off and left not a trace of her body to be seen.

§

Meanwhile, halfway across the island, a fly was buzzing across the island. It was a simple, purple fly, no different from any other fly as it just tried to survive in a cruel, harsh world. That is, until a seemingly giant red foot stepped on the fly and rendered its existence moot.

"Chihiro," Wham-Shell called as he stormed across the sandy shores, "I'm not sure if you consider this a game or not, but it's not funny anymore! You can come out now!"

Silence. Piercing silence.

"Come on, this is getting annoying!"

Wham-Shell stopped short as he heard a rustling from the bushes, then twisted around to find… A crab as it bustled about on its own business.

Wham-Shell only heaved a sigh.

"Just a crab, Wham, just a crab." Wham-Shell pulled himself up and looked ahead, "I'd better go find Chihiro before this place gets the better of me…"

And as Wham-Shell dashed off on the track, another person darted through on the left—and as nature would have it, a crash collision happened next! As Wham-Shell fell back into the beaches, the other person shook their head and groaned as they rubbed their aching cranium. Wham-Shell peered up, then found that staring him in the face was none other than Gill Grunt!

"Oh, hi Wham, didn't see you there!" Gill Grunt chirped as he waved at Wham-Shell.

"Neither did I," Wham-Shell said as he rolled his eyes, "On to serious matters, have you seen Chihiro yet?"

"'Fraid not." Gill Grunt's smile turned to a frown as he shook his head, "She's a little too good at getting lost for her own good."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Wham-Shell stood up and dusted himself off, "And more importantly, have you seen any trace of the Eternal Water Source?"

"Not a sign, I'm afraid." Gill Grunt sighed and stood up as well, "Just a bunch of sand, insects, the occasional pirate or two… Oh, and these weird statues."

Gill Grunt then pulled out an obsidian statue shaped like a face, and in response Wham-Shell pulled out a similar-looking one from behind his back.

"How many of these are there, anyways?" Gill Grunt asked as he glazed over the statue once more.

Wham-Shell didn't answer Gill Grunt's question—instead, he focused on the pathway ahead of him as he frowned.

"Did you hear that, Gill?" Wham-Shell asked as he looked back at Gill Grunt.

"Hear what?" Gill Grunt rocked up his nonexistent ears and tilted his head.

A little ways across from where they currently stood, something that almost sounded like someone moaning out of pain resounded!

"It sounds like someone's hurt!"

The two of them nodded than rushed across—however, they didn't bother to see where they were going, which lead to Wham-Shell accidentally stepping on a peculiar thing that stuck out from the sand!

"Ouch!" exclaimed someone from underneath a pile of golden sand grains.

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell back backed up to find a hand stuck out from the heap of golden sand. That hand was joined by another hand, and then two arms, and finally a head and torso as Chihiro pulled herself out from the pile she had dug her way into.

"Chihiro?!" Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt exclaimed in unison as they watched Chihiro shake the sand out of her hair.

"You guys always have the ruin my plans, don't you?" Chihiro asked, a playful look on her face as she made a chuckle, "So, did I look like I was buried alive or what?"

Chihiro pulled herself out of the sand and wiped down her clothes from any lick of sand, then frowned as she was greeted by a notable lack of laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, pretending to be buried alive isn't actually that funny." Chihiro rolled her eyes before a thin smile broke across her face, "But you gotta admit, I got you pretty good there, didn't I?"—As Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell rolled their eyes and smiled, Chihiro crossed her arms and huffed—"Sheesh, where'd your sense of humor go?"

Wham-Shell just rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.

"All pranks aside, we still need to find the Eternal Water Source," Wham-Shell said as he crossed his arms, "And lollygagging around won't do us any good."

"Yeah, yeah, but what will?" Chihiro retorted as she flopped back onto the sand. "'Cause I've searched all over this darn island and I haven't found a thing!"

"Did you really?" Wham-Shell gave Chihiro a fairly humorous gaze, one that only grew more suspicious as Chihiro shrugged and giggled nervously.

"Well, _maaaaybe_ I spent more time on a wild imp chase and turning a palm tree into my personal fortress, but that's not really important." Chihiro was struck by an idea as she sprang back up with stars in her eyes, "Unless my lead's correct…"

"Unless what lead's correct?" Gill Grunt echoed as he drew closer to Chihiro.

Chihiro rummaged around inside her pockets, then pulled out an obsidian statue and showed it to Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt.

"Do you guys recognize this statue?"

"Oddly enough, yes!" Wham-Shell said as he pulled out the statue he had from and allowed Chihiro to gaze over it, "Tripped on one of those darn things earlier."

"And for that matter, one of those statues knocked me on the head too," Gill Grunt added as he pulled another identical statue out from behind his back, "And got me chased by a pirate mob, but that's another story."

"Good!" Chihiro chirped with glee, then giggled and scratched the back of her head, "About finding the statues, I mean, not getting hurt by them,"—Chihiro snatched the statues from their hands, then made a saddlebag out of magic and stuffed them inside—"Now, I heard this weird mob of pirates talking about how Kaos wanted to keep these statues out of anyone's hands—and if he doesn't want us getting them, then surely there's something important about them."

"And you're sure their word is reliable?" Gill Grunt asked as he raised an eyebrow, "For all we know, they could just want to sell them for a pretty penny…"

"Well, I did hear some pirates say somethin' like that when I found that thing…" Wham-Shell said as he cast an aside look at the ocean.

"Maybe these things are the keys to getting the Eternal Water Source!" Chihiro realized as she tightened the magic saddlebag's strap, "Looks like right now, collecting these things is the best chance we've got!"

Chihiro then looked over at the others and urged them with a nod.

"Come on," Chihiro turned around and readied herself for a run, "I was chasing some imp that had one before it got—"

Chihiro stopped short as everybody heard some kind of gibberish cackling, then looked ahead of the path to find a red-skinned imp that looked vaguely like a cartoon devil not that far off! It was small and round, and within its skinny arms it caressed… An obsidian statue with ruby eyes!

"THERE IT IS!" Chihiro pointed at the imp with all manner of urgency, "AFTER IT!"

As Chihiro jabbed her finger frantically towards the imp's direction, the imp took one look at her and scrambled! Its little legs ran off in such a fury that all one could see was the gigantic cloud of dust and disturbed sand it left behind.

But, not one to be easily stopped, Chihiro zoomed off once more—though in the dust cloud, she couldn't see a thing and ended up tripping on a stray vine! While she fell on her face, her saddlebag's flap flew right open and tossed the statues into the air, then each one conked Chihiro right on the head in succession.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Chihiro sat up and rubbed her aching head, "Why do these kinda things always happen to me?"

§

"I think it went this way!" Chihiro shouted as she pointed ahead and ran, Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell still hot on her heels.

Her breath heavy, Chihiro sprinted across the sand and kicked up dust wherever she went, her eyes trained on the track of imp footprints before her. The island's paths seemed to sprawl on forever and ever, the rows of palm trees completely identical in tune no matter how far she went, but Chihiro wouldn't let that stop her—she had to get that imp!

Chihiro stumbled forward and just barely dodged a stray vine, then stopped short as she heard a shrill scream! The scream faded into the atmosphere moments afterwards, so Chihiro only shrugged and ran forwards.

As she did, the trees around slowly dispersed now that she had gotten further into the path. Soon enough they cleared completely—and so did the imp's footprints! They just abruptly stopped at a pair of worn leather boots that sat devoid of ownership.

"Where'd that imp go?" Chihrio asked as she knelt down and examined the boots, "And for that matter, where am I?!"

Chihiro spread out her arms and gazed about. Of course, Chihiro's arms were full of statues, so as soon as they shot out the statues dropped to the ground once more! As she heard a loud clank, Chihiro looked down and giggled.

"Heh, don't mind me, just getting these statues, doo de doo de doo~"

Chihiro scooped up the statues, then gazed back over at the area.

The area before her was simple and much different compared to where they were before—it was a stone platform that held a cubic, black shrine posed with four square holes and not much else. No trees or any other kind of vegetation, no pirates, and other than one short dock that lead to an equally-small island… In summary, pretty much nothing. However, the shrine caught her intrigue nonetheless—something about it felt so… Mysterious.

"This thing's missing something…" Chihiro mused as she walked over to the shrine and gazed at its holes.

"Like whatever's supposed to go in those slots, bright-eyes?" Asked a familiarly gruff voice.

Chihiro turned around, then watched as Wham-Shell walked up to her with Gill Grunt close behind and pointed towards the empty slots.

"Ah, yeah." Chihiro picked up a statue and examined it, then hovered its base above the shrine's slots. It seemed to be the perfect size—what if…

Chihiro levitated all three statues she owned and slowly slid them into the slots… And it was a perfect fit! Like a key in its proper lock, the statues slid into the holes and stuck themselves tight with a magical whooshing noise. But there was still one slot open.

"That's gotta be the last statue," Chihiro remarked as she glazed over the empty slot, "But we have no idea where it is now,"—Chihiro heaved a sigh and looked over the ocean's cascading waves—"Okay, Plan A didn't work, time to go Eternal Source hunting—"

"Uh, excuse me? Were you talking about a statue?" Asked a familiarly whiny voice as all three heads turned to face a certain seafoam green Gillman!

"Gurglefin!" Chihiro exclaimed as she furrowed her brows, "How'd you get here?"

"I took the back way," Gurglefin said as he pointed his fin towards the side of the island, where another dock stood with Delilah parked next to it, "Didn't you know there was a back way?"

"Not really." Chihiro shook her head then turned her confused expression serious, "Now, what do you know about a statue?"

"Well, it just so happened that I saw some pirate carrying some strange onyx statue onto a boat!" Gurglefin turned around and gasped, "And would you look at that, there's the boat!"

As everybody else gasped, Gurglefin pointed towards the ocean! There, a brown oakwood pirate ship with black jolly roger sails cruised away as gentle waves caressed its hull. It seemed like it was awfully far off, too…

Chihiro's smile turned sour as her eyes glazed over the ship, then she took a deep breath and gazed down at the sea.

"Swimming lessons, don't fail me now!"

But before she could dash off once more, Wham-Shell grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her down to his height.

"Hey!" Chihiro turned back to Wham-Shell and frowned, "What was that for?"

"Think this through, Chihiro," Wham-Shell said as he stared her down, "There's a giant fish with a taste for flesh swimming in that water—do you really want to go for a dip?"

"No…" Chihiro gazed to the side with tear-stung eyes, then shook her head and balled his hands into fists, "But what can we do? Those guys have the last thing we need to get the Eternal Water Source!"

Chihiro stopped and looked down at the sack of marbles she still had tied to her sweatpants.

"Wait, I know!" Chihiro opened up the sack and dove her hand inside, but felt nothing other than felt. With a sigh she closed the bag and tossed it aside.

"Dangit!" Chihiro stomped her foot in frustration, "I must've used up all those marbles chasing that imp,"—Chihiro then sat down and huffed—"Now what?"

"We could shoot it down," Gill Grunt suggested as his eyes trailed off from Wham-Shell and Chihiro.

Both of them gave Gill Grunt confused glances.

"With what, Gill?" Wham-Shell asked as he crossed his arms.

"For starters, we have an empty turret right over there."

Gill Grunt pointed all four sets of eyes to an empty wooden turret in prime condition, stationed a little ways away from the statue.

Wait, when did that turret get there? Chihiro frowned and crossed her arms as she examined it—she sure was missing a lot of things today… But oh well, bygones are bygones. Chihiro gained a mischievous smile on her face, the kind of smile she got whenever she felt like causing trouble, then made an equally-mischievous giggle.

"That will work just _swimmingly_, Gill!" Chihiro exclaimed as she grabbed both Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell's hands.

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell looked at each other and gulped, as if they knew full well what a look like that from Chihiro entailed—and it wasn't good.

Chihiro dragged them towards the turret, then let go and slammed glowing cyan hands against the top of the turret. With a mechanical whir, the turret spun around before it clicked and fixed itself on the ship!

And with that said and done, Chihiro grasped her hands around the wheel of the turret and began piloting! With crosshairs popped out and focused further, Chihiro trained herself on the hull of the pirate ship.

"Ehehehehe." Chihiro's eyes narrowed and a hyperactive grin spread across her face, "RAPIDFIRE MODE GO!"

Chihiro slammed her fingers against the handle's buttons, then watched as spheres of magic screeched toward the ship! Despite their relatively small size, they were fast and they were many as they crashed against the side of the pirate ship… But unfortunately, that wasn't enough to compensate for strength.

When the dust had setttled, they hadn't even made a scratch on the ship itself!

"No way!" Chihiro exclaimed as her face fell, "Not even a dent!"—Chihiro shook her head and pushed the wheel further—"What am I doing?! They're getting away!"

As the ship tried to sail further into the horizon, Chihiro sent rows after rows, battalions after battalions of those magic spheres towards it, but it was no use! They were still far too weak to damage the ship!

Chihiro winced and clenched her teeth as she held the wheel as tight as she could with her sweaty hands. She had to think of something, fast! That pirate ship was going to be out of shooting range if she didn't! But, no matter what her mind was at a complete blank.

She looked to her side, then loosened her jaw as she saw Gill Grunt whisper… Something, to Wham-Shell. What were they possibly talking about?

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose," Wham-Shell sighed as he pounded his mace against his fist.

Wham-Shell walked over to the turret, pried its top open, then gestured to Gill Grunt. The two of them hopped into the turret with no words spoken, then Wham-Shell pulled the turret's top back down! As he did, the two large, silver knobs on the turret's roof glowed a bright blue in color, while lighter blue teardrop symbols shone in their centers. A new power, perhaps?

Chihiro smiled as she slammed her fingers against the buttons once more—time to test this out!

"EAT THIS, YOU SCURVY DOGS!"

Out from the turret shot an entire gigantic barrage of gigantic, glowing water spheres that crashed into the ship's hull! By the time the assault had cleared, a sizable hole had formed while the ship slowly sank into the calm waters! Looks like they'd be joining Davy Jones in his locker.

Satisfied with her work, Chihiro jumped out of the pilot's seat and rapped against the top door of the turret. The door opened by itself to reveal a very exhausted Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell, who both panting and looked as if they were about ready to fall asleep.

"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to wear you guys out too bad!" Chihiro giggled and gently patted them on their heads.

And with that said, Chihiro skipped off and peered over the island's edge, fully ready to start swimming. That is, until she noticed something float closer in the distance.

"Now, what could that be?"

Chihiro knelt down as the object floating closer to her position and revealed itself to be none other than the statue she had been looking for! With a giddy smile on her face, Chihiro scooped up the statue and twirled it around.

"Guys, I've got the statue!"

Gill Grunt groaned and peered up, a still-tired gaze on his face as he fruitlessly tried to keep his eyes from closing.

"That's great, Chi, now if you'll excuse me," Gill Grunt said as he flopped back down on the wooden floor of the turret. "I'm gonna get some sleep."

However, Gill Grunt was not going to get his wishes today, for Chihiro dashed over and grabbed him by the collar of his wetsuit.

"You can sleep when you're dead!" Chihiro exclaimed as she yanked Gill Grunt out of the turret and ran off, "For now, we've got a source to get!"

As they ran off, Wham-Shell groaned and opened his tired eyes, then climbed out of the turret.

"Wai, wait up, you two!" Wham-Shell half-exclaimed as he stumbled across the shrine.

Chihiro sprang and leaped all the way through the shrine's island while she hummed a tune to herself, then slowed down as she arrived at the empty slot's spot.

"And here we are!" Chihiro shouted as she twirled around on the heel of her foot and fit the statue into its slot.

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell groggily followed behind her, still clearly tired. As they groaned and looked up, something finally brought them back to alertness! Both their eyes grew wide as they pointed behind Chihiro and tugged on her sleeve.

"Geez, don't you know that it's rude to point?" Chihiro yanked away her sleeve, then turned around and gasped!

"There it is!"

There, right behind her was none other than the Eternal Water Source! It wasn't much larger than maybe a dinner plate, but yet it seemed to radiate with so much raw power, the kind that made Chihiro feel soaked to the bone even though she was mostly dry. Just being next to it made her feel so small…

Chihiro dashed onto a rickety wooden boardwalk, then paused to gaze at the Eternal Water Source's majesty some more. As she watched it with sparkling eyes, the Eternal Water Source carefully hovered down before it nestled itself tightly in Chihiro's grip.

"And now that we've got this baby, let's head back to the island." Chihiro smiled as she looked back at Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell, "Between the three of us, I'm pretty sure Gurglefin's gonna panic if he stays here any longer."

But as Chihiro walked back to their side, a mighty rumble shook the entire island and sent everybody on it to their knees!

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell pushed themselves back up while Chihiro shuddered as she clung to the Source.

"Did you guys feel that too?" Chihiro asked as she hugged the Eternal Water Source tighter than before.

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell didn't have time to respond—another earthquake forced them down on the ground. While they struggled, the quakes grew more and more violent and not to mention more and more loud, until they couldn't even hear their voices.

Chihiro rolled over and peered over the side of the dock and proceeded to gulp.

"Guys…" Chihiro gulped once more, "I think we have a problem."

Chihiro looked under the docks once more, where a giant, blue fish swam all around and crashed into the island—was that the Leviathan? Probably.

Just then, the Leviathan jumped out as they scrambled to their feet and gazed it over. They couldn't help but freeze in sheer awe and fear as they watched it—after all, it was as big as a small island!

"Yeah, on second thought, the fish in the marketplace weren't nearly as big as that thing."

Before Chihiro could make one more smart remark, the fish screeched down and swallowed her, Gill Grunt, and Wham-Shell in one gulp.

§

Cold.

It was so cold, and so dark… That was the first thing Chihiro thought as she opened her eyes and looked around. All she could see in front of her was a giant, pink, bumpy surface with splintered, rotten wood and skeletons spread all across. Some kind of strange, hollow noise that was vaguely akin to something breathing echoed throughout, and the whole thing was something out of a nightmare.

"Guys, are we dead?" Chihiro asked, as she clung to the Eternal Water Source, the faint glow of the Source her only source of light in this room.

Chihiro bit her lip as she looked up towards the strange area's roof to find something that looked vaguely like… Tonsils? Wait a second, didn't they get swallowed by…

_Is this the belly of the Leviathan? _Chihiro thought as her knees started to quiver, _If it is, then, have they…_

"Guys? Please, say something!" Chihiro fell to her knees and sniffled, fear overtaken in her mind, "C'mon, please,"—Chihiro shuddered, then pushed herself to crawl forwards and look around—"We just got the Source, you can't give up on me now…"

Right as Chihiro was about ready to let her mind absorb her whole, she heard several moans and groans! She then watched as the Eternal Water Source's light grew brighter and the belly's lighting grew better. The area finally illuminated, Chihiro looked to her side and found Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell as they struggled to their feet!

"Guys! You're alive!" Chihiro's tears turned from ones of fear to ones of joy, then she wiped them away as she jumped back onto her feet.

"Chihiro? Where are you?" Wham-Shell asked as he stumbled a few feet forwards.

"Right here!" Chihiro let go of the Eternal Water Source and had its light illuminate the entirely of the cramped space they were in.

Completely overwhelmed by joy, Chihiro dashed over to their sides and hugged them as tight as she possibly could. She almost didn't want to let go of them, regardless of how cold and wet they were—she was just so, so, relieved that they were okay! Wait, were they?

"You guys alright?" Chihiro watched as they nodded their heads in unison.

"Are you?" Wham-Shell gave her a concerned look as he gently brushed a claw against her damp cheek.

"I'm a little beat up, but I'll survive." Chihiro looked back up at where the Eternal Water Source provided them with brilliant light, then frowned.

"Now, how're we gonna get out of this mess?" Wham-Shell asked as he peered up at the Eternal Water Source.

Chihiro let out a confused shrug.

"Maybe we could try tickling its tonsils until it laughs us out?" Chihiro suggested with a shrug, "I mean, it worked on TV!"

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell gained musing looks on their faces as they nodded.

However, those musing looks didn't last long as another bright light found its way into the scene! It shone so bright and in such a brilliant blue it practically absorbed everything around, and as it glowed a harsh cackle resonated around the belly of the beast.

"HAH HAH HAH! Look what we have here, some STUPID SKYLANDERS!"

Chihiro winced as she scanned the right and left and then right again in some hope that she could find the voice's owner, but no use. Everything was too coated in light! That is, until an even brighter flash shot off and everything faded away into… A giant, holographic blue head!

It had chiseled features covered in odd markings and a cloth hood, and was probably about ten times their size. It might have been kind of intimidating if not for the bald head and notably incorporeal form.

The head cackled for several minutes more, then opened its eyes and gasped.

"How did you get the Eternal Water Source?!" The head demanded.

"Why do you wanna know?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stepped forward and readied a magic sphere, "Who the hell are you, anyways?"

"Chihiro!" Gill Grunt scolded, "Language!"

But, she paid no mind to him as she glared daggers into the holographic head. Her whole body surged with some kind of magical energy, the kind that filled her with so much strength that she felt like she could conquer anything. And especially this weirdo who appeared out of nowhere!

"I could be asking you the same question, child!" The head spat back.

"Name's Chihiro!" Chihiro pointed a thumb at herself and took the coolest stance she could envision, "Chihiro Hatsuki, portal master and guardian of all that is good in Skylands! You better remember it!"

"_PORTAL MASTER?!_" The head cocked an eyebrow then cackled some more, "So YOU'RE the one who's been causing me so much trouble!"

"Causing you… So much trouble…" Chihiro's gaze faltered as a wave of realization crashed over, then she pushed herself to peer up at the head once more, "You're Kaos, aren't you?"

"Correct!" Kaos cackled again as he bore a fanged sneer.

"I'm surprised that such a puny child could be the source of all my misery! After all, I wouldn't have expected someone as small and weak as you to bring back the Skylanders, or stop my armies, or steal the Eternal—" Kaos quickly noted his surprise then cleared his throat, "I mean, I TOTALLY EXPECTED that you would steal the Eternal Water Source from under my nose, and that's why I prepared this spell!"

Chihiro, Wham-Shell, and Gill Grunt only stared in anticipation as they braced themselves for the oncoming spell, weapons bared and fists a'glow… But nothing happened. Kaos's head just frantically spun about.

"No, no, no," Kaos repeated as the sound of warbled, flipping paper echoed about before his eyes widened, "Ah here it is!"

Kaos's eyes flashed a bright white, then the windy vortex behind him grew stronger! With the power of a hurricane it sucked in spare wood, bones, and various other sundry, all while Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell tried their best to stay on the ground.

"Ack!" Chihiro exclaimed as a piece of flotsam flew right past her head and was sucked straight into the vortex, then dug her feet into the Leviathan's tongue.

"Look out!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he pushed Wham-Shell out the way of a splintered crate.

"Thanks, Gill—" Wham-Shell said before his eyes widened and he rolled both himself and Gill Grunt out the way of a rotted fish skeleton.

"CRAP!"

"WHOA!"

"WATCH IT!"

All these shouts and more were heard as they dodged the debris absorbed by the vortex. However, while they were trying to keep their feet on the ground, they had all forgotten about the Eternal Water Source—which was promptly sucked into the vortex and stolen right before their very eyes!

"HAH! Thanks for getting the Water Source for me, SKYLOSERS!" Kaos simpered before he floated down and gave Chihiro a condescending look, "And I can't possibly forget the portal _loser _who brought them here."

Chihiro gritted her teeth together and lunged towards Kaos, her hands flared with magic fire, only to be held back by Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell.

"Lemme go, guys, I can take him!" Chihiro exclaimed as she conjured up another sphere in her open hand, "Just one sphere to the head, that's all it's gonna take!"

"Chihiro, calm down, losing your head over this isn't going to help anyone!" Gill Grunt warned as he placed a damp fin on Chihiro's shoulder.

"And did I forget to mention that pungent panfish of a Gillman?" Kaos asked.

"EXCUSE ME?!" Gill Grunt's fins bristled and he let go of Chihiro's shoulder.

But, before he could run off, Wham-Shell grabbed both him and Chihiro by the backs of their clothes and drew them back before any damage could be done. They could only thrust and squirm against the tough grip of a very exhausted Wham-Shell.

"It works every time!" Kaos let out a bellow of laughter as his eyes glowed brighter than before and a wicked smile snaked across his lips.

"Now, I'll give you SKYLOSERS a little treat." Kaos's head floated back as forth as he watched the others look him down with bated breath and fearful eyes, "If you can beat my minions, which I doubt you can do, I'll let you have the Eternal Water Source."

"And if we don't?" Chihiro asked, her hands balled into fists as she stepped forward.

"Then you'll stay here. Forever." Kaos's smile turned smugger on his face as he floated dangerously close to Chihiro, "MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—"

"Are you done yet?" Chihiro crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"I was about to finish gloating if you hadn't so rudely interrupted me!" Kaos stopped short and pouted, "Now I'll just take even longer. MAUHAHAHAHAHAHA…"

Chihiro just gazed over and Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell.

"You're telling me this is the dude that destroyed the Core of Light?"

All three of them shrugged their shoulders as their attention turned back to Kaos, their expressions turned from neutral to sour. Just being around Kaos made Chihiro's skin crawl. As goofy as he was, this was the person that destroyed the Core of Light, that turned Skylands into his playground of evil…

The one she had to stop, no matter what.

"Ha, ha, ha." As Kaos's laughter stopped short, he cleared his throat and glared down the trio, "Now… Evil Gillman, Evil Water Dragon, Evil Ice Yeti!"

The moment Kaos spoke these words, three creatures popped inside the belly of the beast!

They looked exactly like Gill Grunt, Zap and Slam Bam in terms of form, but their bodies were made of something much different. Their bodies were made of dark purple, malevolent energy that throbbed and pulsed with power and was occasionally decorated by veins of blue water magic. Though their eyes were blank, one could only shudder at the malevolence that radiated from them.

Kaos whipped out the Eternal Water Source, then watched as a stream of water doused the trio of minions! As the water dripped into puddles at their feet, the evil minions glowed with a bright, blue light that radiated such power it made one feel meek and helpless just basking in their presence.

"MAKE THESE SKYLOSERS WISH THEY NEVER CAME HERE!" Kaos's holographic head began to fade, but not before he shot one last, cocky sneer at the heroic trio, "Good luck, Skyblunderers—NOT!"

All was silent for a few moments as the good trio stared down the evil and vice versa… Then the Evil Gillman cocked its harpoon cannon back and shot off harpoons in every conceivable direction! The metal weapons ricocheted off the walls and hit the long-abandoned crates and boxes in what was probably the world's most lethal game of dodgeball!

Harpoons bounced every which way Chihiro, Wham-Shell, and Gill Grunt turned as they all scrambled to dodge the harpoons' paths. Though, it was pretty darn hard.

"Eek!" Chihiro yelped as she dodged a harpoon that whizzed past her chest.

Then, with another yelp she jumped out of the way of yet another harpoon that had ricocheted off the wall behind her. As she summoned a sphere of magic, Chihiro narrowed her eyes and attempted to aim it at the Evil Gillman… But once more harpoons ricocheted around her and forced her to dodge left and right, back and forth, up and down! She even had to dash behind some broken crates a few times. And of course, she didn't notice that she had dropped her magic sphere in her attempts to escape until it was too late.

She only heard a blast and looked down to see the magic sphere burst into sparkles.

"Dang it." Chihiro ducked down with a squeal of shock as a harpoon flew in her general direction!

Meanwhile, Gill Grunt was trying to do the same thing as Chihiro—stay alive! He dashed and darted from one place to the other as he tried to anchor himself and fire from his own harpoon cannon, but the sheer volume of hazards around made it hard to do.

"Can't these things stay still for more than five seconds?" Gill Grunt asked, his eyes narrowed as he sat down once more and tried to focus on the Evil Gillman.

"Gill, watch out!" Wham-Shell shouted over the sound of clinking metal.

Gill Grunt looked up, then noticed another harpoon as it shot straight towards him! Before the harpoon could land and do any damage, Gill Grunt dropped and rolled over, which caused the harpoon to hit the wall and disappear into thin air.

"How long can that thing keep this up?" Gill Grunt sat back up then cast a glance at Wham-Shell, "Wham, can you give me a distraction?"

However, his message reached a different pair of ears instead—Chihiro's! Chihiro smirked as she bounced up from the crate she hid behind and gave Gill Grunt a thumbs up.

"One distraction coming right up, Gill!" Chihiro shouted before she jumped up and down and flailed her arms, "Hey, Fish-Face! Over here!"

As Chihiro shouted all kinds of nonsense, the Evil Gillman whipped its head around to face her with a confused stare. It was almost as if it was wondering whether or not she was addressing it!

"I bet a dog could shoot better than you, and a sleeping one at that!" Chihiro pulled down her bottom eyelid and stuck out her tongue, "Nyeh!"

The Evil Gillman scowled and cocked its harpoon cannon once more. But, instead of shooting out more harpoons, a steam of scalding hot water spat out of the cannon!

Chihiro squawked and dashed off all around the belly of the Leviathan, but the Evil Gillman didn't leave its spot at all! It simply turned around as it fired.

"Was that good enough?" Chihiro whispered as she cast an aside glance at the Evil Gillman and beamed.

There, a few feet away from the Evil Gillman were none other than Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt, who had weapons at the ready as they slowly crept up on the Gillman!

Chihiro made an excited gasp, but not for long! Unknown to them, two, shadowy figures crept up behind Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell…

"Guys, look out!" Chihiro shouted as she watched Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell turn around.

The minions went to work immediately! The Evil Water Dragon zapped everything in sight with lightning bolts while the Evil Ice Yeti dashed over to Wham-Shell's back and grabbed him with its four dark arms.

While lightning danced around the belly of the beast, Chihiro yelped and performed some fancy footwork! She twisted and twirled around then bolts, then when she had grown closer her breath stopped short at what she saw.

Wham-Shell, pinned down to the tongue of the best by the Evil Ice Yeti.

"Ready to give up, shellfish?" the Evil Ice Yeti asked, a prideful tone in its gravely voice.

Chihiro gasped as she lunged forward, only to get tackled to the ground by the Evil Gillman! As she staggered up, she swung her head around only to find herself face-to-face with a sharp, shiny harpoon and gulped.

"I wasn't able to get rid of you at Vindlevale," The Evil Gillman hissed as it cocked its harpoon gun, "But this time will be quite different!"

Chihiro tried to scramble back, but she only got a few steps back before she hit the wall. And worse yet, all around them, lightning bolts had hit puddles of saliva and turned them into electrically-charged death traps. There was nowhere to go. All she could do was stand back and watch as the Evil Gillman placed her in its crosshairs, then…

"How about you get ready to LET GO OF ME, YOU FURRY BRUTE!" Wham-Shell shouted.

The Evil Gillman uttered a confused noise and swung around—which gave Chihiro the perfect opportunity to sock it in the face and run! While the Evil Gillman fell unconscious onto the Leviathan's tongue, Chihiro bounced over its body and looked ahead.

Wham-Shell had swung his legs back and hit the Evil Ice Yeti in the shins, and in turn the Evil Ice Yeti let go of Wham-Shell and yowled in pain! While the Evil Ice Yeti nursed its wounds, Wham-Shell grabbed his mace and smirked.

"Brace for the mace!"

With his cry hung in the air, Wham-Shell whacked his mace on the head of the Evil Ice Yeti and watched as it fell unconscious onto the tongue.

Chihiro and Wham-Shell both beamed as he heaved his mace over his shoulder… Then a lightning bolt whizzed just inches above their heads and slammed into the walls.

Right beside them, Gill Grunt struggled with the pest that was the Evil Water Dragon! He flew off on his water jetpack as he shot harpoon after harpoon at it, but it was far too fast for him to even make contact! The Water Dragon made a gargling laugh as it jumped forward and got ready to zap Gill Grunt right in the chest…

Then Wham-Shell flung his mace outwards and sent starfish shooting from it! The starfish hit the Water Dragon straight in the chest and sent it flying a few feet away.

"That's why you brace for the mace!" Wham-Shell shouted as he heaved his mace back onto his armored shoulder.

"Thanks for the backup, Wham!" Gill Grunt said as he flew over to Wham-Shell's side.

"That was amazing, Whammy!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped forward and hugged them both tight.

The trio smiled and laughed as they were enveloped in Chihiro's warm embrace… Then they all heard a groan and turned around to see the Evil Gillman try to push itself off the ground.

"Not today you don't," Gill Grunt remarked as he let a smile crawl across his lips and cocked his own harpoon gun.

With a slight pull and release of the gun's trigger, a stream of scalding water flew out of the cannon and sent Gill Grunt flying backwards! The harpoon struck the Evil Gillman in the back, and with a yowl of pain the Gillman fell back onto the ground once more.

As the last of the water hit the Leviathan's side and crept down the wall, Chihiro stopped to skip over and examine the now-unconscious minions. Sure enough, they were out cold! They could only lie helpless on the ground as tiny dark blue spheres popped out of the wounds they had gained during the fight.

"Took us long enough," Chihiro said with a smile as she placed her hands on her hips.

As she stopped to bask in their victory, Chihiro heard a strange, warbling sound and turned around to look at the back of the Leviathan's belly. Surely that had to be the sound of Kaos returning the Eternal Water Source, right?

Wrong.

As the sound of rippling magic grew more intense, giant, swirling portals popped out all around the Leviathan's belly… Then from the portals emerged…

"SHARKS!"

Chihiro's eyes darted to the giant, evil magic-fueled shark that jumped out of the portal, then let out an inhuman shriek of fear as she jumped out of its way. Who could blame her? The thing was probably about three times her size!

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell stared out into space, then followed her example as more sharks leaped out of the portals with full intentions of taking a piece out of them!

Chihiro darted from spot to spot as the game of "Dodge the Sharks" commenced, then stopped. Her eyes followed several sharks that diverted themselves away from her and towards… Those evil minions of Kaos's?

Sure enough, the ones that got away all circled around the evil minions and suspended them in midair by some kind of magic force. The wounds the minions had gained slowly closed as they glowed with a faint blue light… Wait…

"They're trying to fix those guys up!" Chihiro exclaimed before she shrieked and side-stepped out the path of another medium-sized shark, "I've gotta stop them!"

But how?…

Chihiro hummed and pressed her hand against her face while she bounced out the way of the many sharks that tried to eat her. Then, she looked over to a shark that bumped into the wall as a smile crept across her lips! Before long, she jumped onto the back of the direction-confused shark, her smile widened as a loud shout reverberated around the room.

"YEE-HAW!"

Now comfortably seated on the shark's back, Chihiro dove into the crowd on the back of her shark and tossed the other sharks aside! Is this how those bull-riders she saw on TV sometimes felt? Probably. But no matter—she didn't linger long on it, as her focus fixed itself on the evil minions instead.

"Chihiro, what on Skylands are you doing?" Gill Grunt asked as he and Wham-Shell stared at her with wide eyes and gaped mouths.

"I'm shark-riding, what do you think?" Chihiro shouted back as she grabbed her shark by the fin on its head and rammed into a shark that was about to cut into her path, "Take that, you, uh, shark! Man, I need to work on my insults."

Chihiro wrapped her legs around the shark's body, then fixed her eyes on the center of her path. Even though all the other sharks flew all around her in a scene that she was sure looked awesome, she had to focus on her target. She saw the circle of sharks grow closer into view, then rubbed her hands against her shark's fin and watched as it glowed a bright cyan in color!

Now blessed with the speed of thousands, the shark zoomed right into the circle of sharks and sent them flying like they were pins at a bowling alley! Sharks crashed into walls, rained down from above…

But most importantly, those evil minions were released of the sharks' healing chamber and fell back onto the tongue!

Chihiro stopped and basked in her victory… Then the sharks all disappeared, including the one Chihiro was riding on, which caused her to fall face-first onto the wet, sticky floor.

"Oof!" Chihiro stood as well as she could with legs that felt like jelly, then gazed over at the minions.

They hadn't gotten off the ground yet… Were they still unconscious?

The tension was thick as hearts pounded so hard you could hear them echo around. Chihiro, Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell watched the evil minions with firm frowns…

Then the minions cackled.

"Thought you could get rid of us easy, huh?" Asked the Evil Ice Yeti as it cracked its knuckles and walked over to them, "Sorry buddies, you're out of luck!"

The Evil Gillman and Evil Water Dragon laughed as they walked towards the others as well.

"Well, you guys are out of luck too!" Chihiro shot back as she readied an energy sphere, "Because we don't give up!"

"That's right!" Gill Grunt shouted back as he readied his harpoon gun, "Skylanders never give up!"

Chihiro beamed as she heard Gill Grunt's words, then bent down and sneered.

"So prepare yourselves!" Chihiro pointed a finger towards the evil minions, "We've gonna wipe the floor with your butts!"

With a mighty cry of battle Chihiro launched herself at the Evil Ice Yeti and tossed an energy sphere at it… But it swatted the sphere away like it was nothing! The Ice Yeti growled and went to punch Chihiro, and in response Chihiro teleported away and stomped on its head as soon as she reappeared! Chihiro whisked herself away as the Ice Yeti tried to yank her off its head and all it could do was stare around in angered confusion.

"Hey! Musclebrain!" Chihiro shouted as she reappeared and stuck her tongue out at the Evil Ice Yeti, "Bet'cha can't catch me!"

The Ice Yeti yowled out and pounded its fists against its chest while Chihiro giggled and dashed off. The pound of footsteps alerted her to the fact that the Evil Ice Yeti was on her trail, but no matter, there was no way it could possibly catch up with—ACK! Chihiro sputtered and stumbled back as a splash of water hit her square in the face! While the water dripped onto the floor, Chihiro shook herself off and looked ahead.

There, Gill Grunt and the Evil Gillman were locked tight in a shoot-off! Their eyes were narrowed as their fingers were held tight onto their guns' triggers, guns that shot out scalding hot water at a dangerously high pressure! It was so intense, so oddly transfixing that Chihiro couldn't bring herself to look away…

Until she heard footsteps pounding and wild hooting, that is.

She turned around and stumbled back as she saw the Evil Ice Yeti runs towards her on all fours, then a giant purplish-blue blur smacked it straight into the wall! The Ice Yeti and the thing that attacked it slide down the wall, then the thing groaned as its popped its head up and shook it.

"Watch where you're going, you big lug!" Exclaimed the Evil Water Dragon as it jumped off the Evil Ice Yeti and snarled.

"You need to watch where you're flying!" The Evil Ice Yeti exclaimed back as it bore its teeth.

Chihiro rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, then looked over to see Wham-Shell give her a thumbs up. Wait a second—this would be the perfect opportunity!

As Gill Grunt and the Evil Gillman continued their showdown, Chihiro carefully crept up behind the Evil Gillman while it rocketed off another shower of sharp harpoons.

With it completely distracted, she yanked it away by the collar of its wetsuit! It could only yelp in surprise as Chihiro swung it around then tossed it right at the Evil Ice Yeti and Evil Water Dragon! The Water Dragon and Ice Yeti only watched as the Evil Gillman made head-on collision with them, then the three of them crashed back into the wall like bowling pins and fell down in a pile.

"Ugh…" The evil minions groaned as they staggered up and stumbled about.

The blow had clearly done well to disorient them. They could barely keep their footing as tiny magic spheres dripped down from the collision points, and their whole bodies shook as they walked in a dizzy haze.

"Be gentle on them, alright guys?" Chihiro asked as her mouth formed a frown and her brows furrowed, "They probably can't take much more."

Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt gave Chihiro a wary nod, then watched as she smiled.

And with that decided, Chihiro scampered off and flung herself in the Evil Gillman's face! She flicked it and watched as it fell over and dissipated into blue magic spheres.

"Buh bye now~" Chihiro said as she turned around and looked over at Wham-Shell.

He had heaved his mace above his head and gotten ready to strike the Evil Water Dragon, who cowered in fear. Then, Wham-Shell gently lowered his mace and tapped the Evil Water Dragon on it head, which caused it to explode into spheres.

Chihiro then smiled as she peered at Gill Grunt, who knelt down and spritzed the Evil Ice Yeti with some water from his gun.

In response, the Yeti stumbled back and hit its head on a nearby rock! The head trauma was so great, it completely explode into those strange glowing spheres from just that simple bump.

"We did it, guys!" Chihiro proclaimed as she bounced up and down, then stopped as she noticed the worried looks on Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell's faces.

"Not yet, Chi," Wham-Shell corrected as he let his mace rest at his side, "It's not over 'til we get the Source back."

Silence ran throughout the room for mere moments as Kaos appeared once more and gazed over the room. It was all filled with anticipation as his mouth etched into a tired frown, as if everybody expected him to have one last trick up his sleeve.

"Fine, if you want the Eternal Water Source, then take it!" Kaos shouted as his head slowly faded out of view—though it kind of looked like he was smiling?

"That sounded oddly apathetic," Gill Grunt said as he gave the space where Kaos's holograph once laid an uneasy look.

The blue magic spheres that littered the area slowly absorbed into the Leviathan's belly, and from them burst… Sores? Yes, giant, dark blue, round sores! Chihiro shouted out in surprise as one sprung up underneath her feet, then beamed and bounced up and down on it like it was a trampoline.

Just then, a blue light shone throughout the area!

Chihiro shouted out in surprise as she flung her arms in front of her eyes, then poked up a glace and smiled.

Sure enough, the Eternal Water Source was hovering right above them! It was all peaceful for a few seconds as everyone basked in the light and power of the Eternal Water Source.

Then finally, Chihiro bounded off of the sore she bounced on! As she soared up, Chihiro caught the Eternal Water Source in her grasp and fell back down onto the Leviathan's tongue with a thud. When she got back on her feet, a rumbling noise echoed around the chamber paired with a quake so strong it caused everyone to collapse on each other! Chihiro tried to stand, but another quake shook the ground and caused her to fall back down.

"Ouch!" Chihiro squealed as everything was enveloped by bright blue light.

§

With a mighty hack, the Leviathan spat Chihiro, Gill Grunt, and Wham-Shell back up and sent flying head-first into the sand. As they got up and shook the sand from their bodies, Chihiro's eyes and smile widened.

"Oh sweet land, I thought I'd never see you again!" Chihiro shouted as she kissed the ground beneath her feet.

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell only gave her looks of pure befuddlement.

"What?" Chihiro gave them a confused look before her eyes widened, "The Eternal Water Source! Where is it?!"

Gasps were heard as they scrambled through the sands. The Source had been with them just a moment ago, had Kaos stolen it from them when they had least expected it?!

"Heh, found it." Chihiro pulled the Source out from a mound of sand located straight ahead of her, then giggled as Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt smiled and rolled their eyes.

"There you are!" shouted a familiar voice as a certain Gurglefin ran towards them and panted every step of the way. As soon as he joined them, Gurglefin hunched over and rested his hands on his knees.

"Gurglefin!" Chihiro exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Anyway, did you get that Water Source thingie you guys were looking for?" Gurglefin let out a chuckle and twiddled his fingers.

"You bet we did!" With a proud smile, Chihiro brandished the Eternal Water Source like a trophy as she held it up in all its wet, shimmering glory!

"So can we go now?" A nervous look befell Gurglefin as he craned his head from side to side, "Cause this place is giving me the creeps!"

"Sure, Gurgleswin. I was starting to get tired of looking at all this sand anyway." Chihiro spun around and went to march off, then paused as she noticed the frustrated look on Gurglefin's face, "Is something wrong?"

"GURGLEFIN! My name is GURGLEFIN!"

"WHATEVER!"

Chihiro pouted a little as she watched Gurglefin summon over Delilah, but her moodiness faded as she looked over the Eternal Water Source. With a gentle smile she hugged it tight, then watched Delilah's plank park onto the side of the island.

"Welp, no use standing around here!" Chihiro remarked as she walked towards the plank, "We've gotta deliver this baby to the Core of Light!"

Chihiro placed a foot on the plank, then paused as a slow rumble echoed throughout the area.

"Did you guys hear that?" Gurglefin asked as he turned back to the others and watched as they nodded.

"Probably just the wind," Wham-Shell replied as he shrugged, "Let's just get back…"

The rumble occurred once more, though this time it seemed a little… Louder? Closer? It was hard to tell.

They all shrugged once more, then boarded Delilah and watched her plank withdraw. In a few moments Delilah had peacefully sailed off, the ocean waves caressed at her hull as she braved the cold, slow waters of the island… Then the sound of hard, rushing waters resounded from the back of the boat!

"The heck is that?" Chihiro asked as she ran up to the upper part of the deck and peered over…. Then screamed.

"CHIHIRO, WHAT IS IT?!" Wham-Shell exclaimed as he ran to Chihiro's side and watched her point over the deck.

Wham-Shell followed her direction… Then gasped as his eyes shrank.

There, right behind them was the Leviathan! But, it was absolutely giant now—about the size of the entire island archipelago, maybe! And judging by how fast it swam, it was certainly in a hurry, like it was hunting something…

"Guys, what's going—" Gill Grunt asked as he ran up to their side and saw the gigantic Leviathan, "HOLY CODFISH!"

The Leviathan made a mighty roar as it bolted forwards and opened its mighty jaws, which promptly crashed down on the island's shrine area! As it swallowed, it made another bellow and dove back into the water, its swimming like that of a slicked-down Zap—fast and furious.

"What's that thing doing?!" Wham-Shell demanded as he tightened his grip on the railing.

"I don't know, but something tells me we don't wanna stick around and find out!" Chihiro shouted back before she turned to Gurglefin, "Gurglefin, can't you go any faster?"

"Why would I need to?" Gurglefin exclaimed, a tremble of fear in his voice, "Is there a—"

Before Gurglefin could finish talking, something crashed into Delilah and sent her spinning across the waves! Everybody screamed as they spun around like swirling cotton candy, then planted face-first onto the wooden ground of the ship's deck.

"Do you think Kaos did this?" Chihiro asked as she stood up and gripped tightly onto the railing.

"Wouldn't be surprised!" Wham-Shell shouted as he stood back up and scowled, "Should've known that ugly bugger had some kind of trick up his sleeve…"

"We can't worry about that right now, we need to get out of here!" Gill Grunt retorted as he staggered up, all while his legs shook like jelly.

"I don't think we can," Chihiro replied as she looked over the Leviathan and winced, "That thing's way too fast!"—Chihiro frowned as she looked closer at the Leviathan—"Huh?"

Chihiro leaned forwards and bit her lip before Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt pulled her back.

"Chihiro, what're you doing?" Wham-Shell asked, "Are you tryin' to become fish food?"

"I think I saw something on the Leviathan's back!" Chihiro pointed back to the Leviathan, "Look!"

Wham-Shell and Gill Grunt followed her order and peered over. Now that they all got a better look, which wasn't hard to do, since it was getting very dangerously close… It kind of look like its body was covered in sores? Yes, giant blue sores that pulsed with some kind of evil aura!

"Now that I think about it…" Chihiro placed her hand on her chin, "A bunch of those sores showed up in the Leviathan's belly when we beat those weird evil clones! Do you think that's what's making the Leviathan go haywire?"

"Probably, but—WOAH!" Wham-Shell stopped short as the Leviathan crashed into Delilah and sent her spinning once more, then regained his balance and shook his head, "How do we get rid of them?"

Chihiro bit her lip, then looked down at the Eternal Water Source and smiled.

"Actually, I do have AN idea…" Chihiro showed off the Eternal Water Source to Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell, "Kaos powered up those evil minion thingies with the Water Source, right? If we could harness its power too, then maybe we could get the power to undo it!"—Chihiro made a wary shrug—"Any objections?"

Before anyone could object, the Leviathan crashed into Delilah once more and made a loud, guttural growl as it charged again.

"NOPE!" Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell exclaimed as they struck their weapons into the heart of the Water Source.

As they withdrew them, the weapons glowed with a bright blue light the color of clear ocean waters! A new level of power resonated from them, a kind of pure and good power completely undiluted by evil bearings—hopefully this would be what they needed.

Chihiro gulped and dove her hand in, then drew back and watched as it glowed blue. With a smile, she peered over to the deck and held out her hand.

"On the count of three…" Chihiro proclaimed, "ONE!"

"TWO!" Wham-Shell held his glowing mace over the side of the railing like one would a rifle.

"THREE!" Gill Grunt heaved his gun over the deck and wrapped his finger around the trigger.

CRASH!

Before they could even fire, the Leviathan had slammed back into the side of the ship and sent them spinning once again!

Everybody screamed in panic as they fell flat on their faces, then tried to pull themselves up. Their legs shook with shock and their arms just barely kept them up, but they couldn't lie down just yet—they had to stop the Leviathan before it was too late! But, the Leviathan wasn't making it easy! Every time they tried to pull themselves up, the Leviathan would slam back into the side of Delilah's hull and sent them spinning across the waters!

It was all they could do to keep themselves on the ship!

Chihiro cried out in anguish as she slammed against the side of the deck, then sat up and shook her head… Only to fall on her back again as Gill Grunt crashed right into her!

"You alright, Gill?" Chihiro asked as she pulled them both back up.

Gill Grunt only nodded in response.

"Thank goodness…" Chihiro stopped as a shadow cast itself over the ship, "Hey, who turned out the lights?"

Chihiro froze as a loud rumble swept out throughout the ocean, then let go of Gill Grunt. She clenched her teeth, pulled herself to her feet and turned around… Only to fall back down.

Because there, right above them, was the Leviathan! It had leaped out from the waters, its mouth wide open as if it was ready to eat them all alive! But wait… Those sores, they were all completely visible inside as well!

"Now's our chance!" Chihiro turned back towards Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell and watched as they grabbed their weapons, "SHOOT!"

As the Eternal Water Source glowed brighter, a swirling blast of concentrated water, starfish and magic shot out from Delilah right as the Leviathan got ready to swallow her whole! The Leviathan was blown away as it was enveloped by the blast, while Delilah herself shot off like a firecracker.

Gill Grunt, Wham-Shell and Chihiro all trained their eyes on the skies as they watched the blast fade. Did it work?…

It sure did, because as the blast reached its end a noticeably smaller, normal-looking Leviathan fell back into the ocean! While the crash pushed Delilah a few inches back, the Leviathan rolled back onto its belly and swam over to Delilah's hull.

Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell readied their weapons just in case, but the Leviathan didn't attack. It merely nudged the side of Delilah's hull and purred, almost as if to say "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Chihiro shouted as she waved back at the Leviathan, then watched as it bellow and swam away.

Chihiro exhaled as the Leviathan swam out of sight, then smiled as she turned back to Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell.

"Anyways, we've got a while before we get home." Chihiro crackled her knuckles and smirked in an almost catlike way, "So, why don't I get back to my Marimoni essay…"

§

"And that is why Marimoni is irrefutably, undeniably canon, and anyone who says otherwise is a filthy liar!" Chihiro exclaimed, a smug look on her face as she cradled the Eternal Water Source as carefully as she could in her grasp.

"Think we're back yet?" Wham-Shell asked as he started into the vast skies.

Chihiro rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh, before she turned around and smiled.

Though the sun shone high in the sky, it had slowly dipped into evening and colored the clouds a candy-like shade of pink that reminded Chihiro a bit of cotton candy. Mmmm, cotton candy… Chihiro felt her mouth water at the very notion, then her eyes flickered over to the front of Delilah.

As she peered ahead, she saw a speck of an island that grew closer… And closer…

"Guys, we're back!" Chihiro exclaimed as she ran up to the top deck and gazed ahead!

Sure enough, they were indeed back! Ancient's Peak set into view as Gurglefin steered them into the docks and parked. As the plank of the ship lowered, Chihiro raced off the deck, more than ecstatic to be home at last!

"Guess who's baaack?" Chihiro swept in with a wide smile, then watched as Hugo peered over from where he was reading a book.

"Chihiro! Did you get the Eternal Water Source?" Hugo asked as he put his book away and walked to her side.

"Of course, it's right…" Chihiro trailed off as she noticed that she felt no weight and looked down, "Here?"

Panic set in as Chihiro spun about and patted herself down several times in succession—where did she put it?! She could've sworn she had it with her when she left the ship!

"Looking for something, Chi?" Gill Grunt asked as he and Wham-Shell joined them on the scenes.

Chihiro turned around from a futile attempt to lift up a heavy rock and blinked for a moment, before she let out a nervous chuckle. There, right in Gill Grunt's grasp was the Eternal Water Source!

"Hah, of course it was on the ship, I totally…" Chihiro said, then trailed off and hung her head, "Yeah, I don't have an excuse for this."

And with that, she took the Eternal Water Source from Gill Grunt's arms and walked up the stairs. Unlike before, there wasn't a huge crowd gathered in the island's heart—unsurprisingly as everybody else was likely still on missions. But no matter, they could see the effects for themselves when they returned.

Chihiro skipped over to where the Core's reconstruction was based and laid the Eternal Water Source in its center. She then turned around and nodded to Hugo, who had joined her with his book in hand and Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell dutifully behind him.

As Hugo chanted out some ancient Skylandian message, the Eternal Water Source sunk down into the stone platform, vanished entirely beneath the bricks… And nothing happened.

"Should something be happening now?" Chihiro asked… Then she lost her footing and stumbled about as the ground beneath her feet violently shook.

"Ack!"

With another startled shout Chihiro jumped right into Gill Grunt's arms! But Gill Grunt could barely hold the weight and hopped backwards before he tumbled into Wham-Shell! The three of then fell into one big pile, then with a giggle Chihiro stood and wiped the dirt from her pants.

Once she had completely regained her balance, she stared over to the Core, then her eyes glazed over its statues… Now that she looked closer at them, it kinda looked like they were leaking? Chihiro walked up to the leftmost statue and investigated its spout to find that she was right! Water dripped down from its open spout for a few seconds, then burst into a full out stream which splashed Chihiro straight in the face!

Chihiro let out a garbled scream as she jumped out and shook herself dry, then giggled before she rushed back into the stream and danced about.

Gill Grunt smiled and made a chuckle, a smile that was shared with Wham-Shell.

"Come on in, the water's fine!" Chihiro exclaimed as she took notice of them both and beamed.

Chihiro grabbed both Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell's hands, then took them to the center of the stone platform. There, they all twirled and danced all throughout the shining light of the fading afternoon…


	11. Chapter 11

**And now for chapter 11! Before we start, I want to give a quick warning that this chapter contains brief references to child death and short uses of medicinal syringes. ****If either of these subjects are uncomfortable for you, feel free to sit this one out, or DM me for a summary of what happens!**

**Watch Seeker: I'm really glad to hear that! About you liking the fight scene, I mean—fight scenes are some of my favorite scenes to write! As for your guess, well... I don't want to spoil anything, but you're definitely on the right track ;)**

* * *

"Skylander Code number one!" Chihiro exclaimed as she drove a bruised fist that glowed with magic through a straw-filled training dummy, "Skylanders can't kill unless it's necessary!"—Chihiro pulled the fist out of the dummy and punched with the next—"Skylander Code number two! Skylanders must never hurt those they hold power over!"

Chihiro paused for a moment to catch her breath as she withdrew her fist, then punched the dummy once more.

"Skylander Code number three!" Chihiro panted heavily as she bit her lip, "Skylanders… Skylanders must… They must…"

Now completely fed up, Chihiro let out a bloodcurdling scream and set her fist alight with magical fire—which set the dummy on fire in the process! As it blazed a bright aqua, Chihiro withdrew her fist, blew it out, and smirked as she gazed over her accomplishment. Then, she heaved a sigh and fell to the floor.

"You sure don't like that training dummy, do you?" Spyro said as he rolled his eyes, a teasing smile on his face.

He then watched as the dummy magically extinguished itself before it returned back to a pristine, new state, as if it had just been taken out of the box.

"Thing hit me in the face like, seven times!" Chihiro rubbed her bruised right eye and winced, "Ow, ow, ow, ow."

Chihiro rubbed her cranium and looked up to see Spyro give her a fairly concerned look.

"I'm fine, just gonna take a ten-minute break." Chihiro gave Spyro a weak smile and a thumbs up, then picked up a nearby water bottle and attempted to unscrew the cap before she groaned and passed the bottle to Spyro.

"You get this."

Spyro chuckled and rolled his eyes as he unscrewed the water bottle's cap and passed it back to Chihiro, then watched as she took a large gulp of water and fell on her back.

"Say, Chihiro…" Spyro tilted his head as he watched her sit back up and look at him, "Why'd you think punching a dummy would help you study for your third portal master exam, anyways?"

"Well…" Chihiro hummed and put a finger to her face, "Since I've gotta memorize all this Skylander Code stuff, I've been trying to find different ways to memorize it, and somebody suggested that punching up the dummies would help!"

"It was Terrafin, wasn't it?" Spyro gave Chihiro a knowing side-glance.

Chihiro giggled and nodded, then as she heaved heavy breaths, she screwed the water bottle's cap back on.

"I still don't entirely get why I have to memorize all this stuff, to be honest." Chihiro let the water bottle fall out of her hand and roll onto the ground, "I mean, I'm a portal master apprentice, not a Skylander-in-training—why do I have to memorize your code of honor?"

"You may not be a Skylander, but it's still important to know." Spyro walked over to Chihiro's side and swished his tail as he held up a paw, "As a portal master, you're just as responsible for your Skylanders' actions as they are—you have to know how they should and shouldn't conduct themselves."

"Y'know, I think Master Eon said somethin' like that, too." Chihiro's eyes glazed over Spyro as she wiped her mouth, "Hey, Spyro, how long have we been out here?"

"Let's see, we went out here to train at nine, then add that and that…" Spyro's eyes glazed over his paws as he counted his toes before he looked back at Chihiro, "I'd say about three hours?"

"CRAP!" Chihiro sprang up from the ground, "I need to change out patrols! Come on, Spyro!"

And with that said, Chihiro grabbed Spyro's paw and practically dragged him out of the training dome, her course set for the portal building…

§

"Okay, so Cynder, Hex and Zook were successfully able to drive those zombies out of the Giggling Forest," Chihiro said as she wrote something down on a piece of paper, "Hey, how did zombies even get in there, anyways?"

"Kaos, who else?" Interjected someone else with a rough, tomboyish voice.

Chihiro practically jumped a foot in the air before she turned around and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, it's just you, Cynder." Chihiro frowned, "How long have you been there, anyways?"

"Chihiro, I've been standing behind you this entire time," Cynder said as she gave Chihiro a dark stare.

Cynder was a slender, violet-colored dragon with an almost beaklike muzzle, silver horns on the side of her head, piercing icy blue eyes and pink triangular markings on her forehead. Her body had red chest plates, violet and pink wings with silver claws on their tips, a long, violet tail with a silver arrowhead-shaped fin and silver claws. She wore a silver spiked collar and bracelets and her gaze almost pierced daggers through Chihiro as her frown deepened.

"Guess I didn't see you there!" A blush dusted Chihiro's face as she giggled before she looked away.

"Just tell me what I'm doing next." Cynder rolled her eyes.

"Let's see…" Chihiro levitated another piece of paper out of her pocket and glazed over it before she put it away, "You're guarding the island!"—Chihiro nodded—"You have fun now!"

Cynder just walked out of the building without a word to say. Her menacing aura seemed to radiate around the area and caused everybody else to quickly back away and let her pass.

"Did I say something wrong?" Chihiro just frowned and looked at Spyro.

"Don't worry about her, Chi! She's just being her usual grumpy self," said another voice with a pronounced Jamaican accent as someone slapped a hand on Chihiro's shoulder.

Chihiro jumped up again, then looked back to find a creature shaped like a green bamboo shoot with limbs and red stalks atop their head behind her.

"Oh, hi Zook." Chihiro winced before she cleared her throat and collected herself, "You and Hex are on island duty too, by the way."

Zook then nodded before he made his way out of the building beside a pale blue-skinned elf decked to the nines in black robes and other kinds of clothing.

As Chihiro watched them leave, she heard Spyro heave a sigh and looked down to where he was sitting.

"Something bugging you, Golden Boy?" Chihiro asked as she gently nudged Spyro's head.

Spyro shook his head before looking to his side.

"You sure?"

Spyro nodded his head firmly.

"Y'know, Spyro." Chihiro placed down the list and lifted up Spyro's chin, "You can tell me anything. We're friends, after all!"

"It's alright, Chi." Spyro made a weak smile, then clasped his paw and released as he looked up at Chihiro, "It's nothing, I promise."

Right before Chihiro could say anything else, the door slammed open and a bright blue something balled into the room and practically bulldozed Chihiro over! As Chihiro fell to the floor and hit her head, she let out a shout of surprise before she looked over her assailant.

It was none other than a round, bright blue monster with big green eyes, yellow spikes on the side of its body and a long, red tongue! Its eyes shone with a kind of childlike wonder as it looked down Chihiro.

"Chihiro, Chihiro!" The monster exclaimed as it bounced on Chihiro's belly with all the enthusiasm of a young child, its voice high and cutesy, "You won't believe what I found on the beach!"

"What is it, Wrecking Ball?" Chihiro asked as she sat up and gently pushed Wrecking Ball off her person.

"Follow me!" Wrecking Ball spun around and rolled out the room at the speed of light! All that could be seen was a fast blur and several people who had gotten knocked down thanks to his ride of terror.

"After that grubworm!" Chihiro exclaimed as she dashed off, her gaze trained on the dirty streaks Wrecking Ball left behind.

Spyro only shrugged and flew after Chihiro.

§

"So…" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head before the giant object presented before her, "What is this thing?"

The object in question was… Strange. It kind of looked like a giant robot, being made entirely of rusty metal that looked like it hadn't been carefully attended to in years, with the head and body of the robot being an old orange while the rest was in a dull, dark blue. Its head consisted of a round, closed object placed atop a grate, while its body was circular and had a giant door decorated with an intricate pattern that was sealed shut by rust. Two long, skinny "arms" rested at its sides, and something about it seemed so sad and lifeless.

"We don't know," Replied a rough, gravely voice as a golem made entirely of rock and crystals with blank yellow and red eyes walked around the side of the strange object, "We just found it during patrol duty—dunno how nobody noticed it before."

"Whaddya think it is, Prism Break?" Wrecking Ball asked as he bounced up and down in front of the machine, "Is it a giant warp machine that'll take us to another world? An oven filled with sweets? A big old picnic basket?"

"How does that look like a picnic basket?" Prism Break gestured towards the object with a crystal hand.

"I dunno." Wrecking Ball rolled on his back as his lengthy tongue lolled out of his mouth, "I guess I'm just hungry!"

"Wrecking Ball, you're always hungry!"

"What's going on here, guys?" Spyro asked as he flew up to the group and looked over the object.

"We don't really know—Breaks and Wrecks just found it here," Chihiro remarked as she looked over to Spyro and shrugged, then looked back at the robot, "But whatever it is, it sure needs a good oiling!"

Chihiro hummed as she placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. With a few more bars of some unspecified song hummed, she darted over to the other side of the beach and disappeared over the horizon… Only to return a few minutes later with a container full of oil.

"Spyro," Chihiro called as she nudged Spyro's shoulder, "Take this thing of oil and dunk it all over that thing! I'm sure that'll get it running!"

With a nod, Spyro retrieved the container from Chihiro's slender hands, then flew over the strange object and began dunking the oil all over it.

"That thing's got like, a couple barrels' worth of oil in it." Chihiro held up a hand as she made the best informative tone she could, "If that doesn't get it nice and loose, I don't know what—OWCH!"

Chihiro hopped up on one foot as she held up the other and groaned. Her balance just barely maintained, she looked down at her foot to find a snide-looking clam that had latched onto her boot and refused to let go!

"Darn clams." Chihiro grunted as she yanked the clam off her foot and tossed it a few feet away, "I swear, you can't go to the beach anymore without them biting your feet and eating your sandwiches! Where'd they even come from, anyways?!"

"I'm no expert." Spyro shook down the container some more and watched as oil came flooding down on the object, "But if I had to guess, I'd say they probably got drawn here by the surge of Water magic that came with the Eternal Water Source—"

"GOOOOOOD MORNING SKYLANDS!"

Everybody around screamed in surprise from the appearance of a sudden, unidentified voice—Spyro even dropped the container he was holding onto the oil-covered object!

As it made a shout of pain, the oil that coated it drained into its body while the round, closed object atop its head flicked open into… An eye?

"Thanks for that, I've been needing a good oiling!" The object exclaimed while it looked down at the others, its voice the metallic equivalent of a charismatic news show host's.

Everybody else frowned as they looked over this strange machine.

"Uh, who are you again?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head.

"Pardon me for not introducing myself!" The object coughed and rubbed a metallic hand against its metal chest, "I'm a Clam-Tron 3000, classic model. Just give me some clams and I'll turn them into shiny new pearls!"

"Clams, huh?" Chihiro made a mischievous grin as she looked towards the swarm of clams behind her, who now had terror-stricken faces, then back at Clam-Tron, "Well, I do want to see what happens…"

As the clams hopped away in panic, Chihiro snapped her fingers, crafted a giant, cyan fishing net and watched as the net shot itself along the beach. The sound of terrified clam screeching was heard for a couple of minutes, then a swift tunneling sound took its place as the net dashed back to Chihiro.

As it arrived, sand fell out of the net's many holes, and all that remained was a gigantic stash of squirming, terrified clams!

Chihiro made an overly-excited giggle, then grabbed the net by its top and looked over at Clam-Tron. As he opened the hatch on his belly, Chihiro skipped up front and shook the clams into the fire!

"Now…" Clam-Tron slammed the hatch's door shut and shook around for a few moments, "Just toss it around, mix it up, throw in a little elbow grease, and…"

With a friendly chime, steam poured out of the hatchet while Clam-Tron slammed open his door. He then reached inside, shuffled around and pulled out…

"A shiny new BLACK pearl?!" Clam-Tron exclaimed as the steam cleared and he examined the object, "What in Skylands is this?!"

"Eh?" Everybody exclaimed at once.

"Black pearls?" Chihiro repeated with a sparkle in her eyes, "I've never heard of black pearls before! Lemme take a look!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers and crafted springy boots out of magic, then leaped up and snagged the object from Clam-Tron. As she landed and the boots disappeared, she paused for a moment and turned the black "pearl" around in her hands. It was a lot larger than the pearls she had seen in the jewelry stores, maybe about… Five times the size, if she had to take a gander? It wasn't as smooth either—its surface had a coarse, almost gritty texture to it. And on top of that, she swore she heard some kind of powder shake around in its inside.

Wait a second…

"IT'S A BOMB!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tossed the bomb in the air.

"What was that, Chi?" Wrecking Ball asked as his eyes shot up to the skies, "Oh no, the pearl! I'll get it!"

"It's not a pearl!" Spyro shouted as he flew up and snagged the bomb while fire crackled at his mouth, "It's a—"

Spyro stopped short as a sizzling sound resonated around, which caused everybody to slowly, fearfully gaze at Spyro's paws… Where a now-lit bomb rested.

"CRAP!" Spyro instinctively tossed the bomb aside, and it promptly landed in Chihiro's hands.

Chihiro screamed in panic as she fumbled the bomb around for a few seconds, then passed it to Prism Break, who only cried out in surprise as he tossed it back to Chihiro. This game of hot potato—or rather, hot BOMB-tato—carried on for a few more seconds with Wrecking Ball and a panicked Clam-Tron as the witnesses, until Wrecking Ball grabbed the bomb with his tongue and flung it as high as he could.

"Whadya say again, Chi?" Wrecking Ball asked as he watched Spyro fly down and take sanctuary on the beach.

"It's a bomb!"

Right as Chihiro shouted this out, the bomb finally exploded! Thankfully it was out of range to do any serious harm… But it did rain soot all over everyone.

"Oh, a _BOMB_!" Wrecking Ball replied before a pile of soot landed in his mouth and made him break into a hacking fit, "… Bombs taste yucky."

As everybody coughed out soot and wiped it out of their eyes, the sound of frantic footsteps as they ran across the sand paired with the pant of a familiar voice echoed around the island.

"I heard an explosion, is everything alright?" Hugo asked as he fell to his knees and panted, then looked back up at the others, "…Why do you have soot all over your faces?"

"No reason," Chihiro replied as she shook the soot off her face and watched as it fell in a pile by her feet, "Anyways, anything else you need to tell us, Huges?"

Hugo's eyes sparkled as he adjusted his glasses.

"Actually, now that you mention it." Hugo pulled a paper out of his jacket, "Well, I found the next part of the Core!"

"You found the Crystal Eye?" Spyro exclaimed as he pushed past the others and looked at Hugo, "Is it where I told you it was going to be?"

"Yep!" Hugo looked over the paper, "It's right at chocolate ice cream, whipped cream and bananas—wait, that doesn't sound right,"—Hugo looked over the list in his hand, then chuckled and put it away—"Yeah, that's… You know what, let's just forget about that! It's right at the Crystal Eye Castle, the home of the cyclops masons!"

"Knew it!" Spyro beamed as he sat himself on the beach, "Getting this one back won't be any trouble at all!"

"Wait, hold up," Chihiro interjected as she joined Hugo and Spyro, "I'm missing something here—aren't cyclopses like, evil and all?"

"_Cyclopes_, Chihiro," Hugo corrected.

"WHATEVER," Chihiro huffed and crossed her arms, "Potato potatoh!"

"Not actually, Chihiro," Spyro explained as he pulled away Chihiro, "The cyclopes here live in pursuit of their life's passion!"

"Oh, oh, lemme guess!" Wrecking Ball shouted from the back of the crowd as he bounced up and down, "It is cooking?"

"Sewing?" Prism Break guessed with a shrug of his rocky shoulders.

"Underwater basket weaving?" Chihiro suggested as everybody around gave her strange looks, "Hey, it's an idea!"

"None of those things—it was masonry!" Spyro exclaimed at last, "These cyclopes have had an alliance with us for years! In fact, most of the buildings here are cyclops masonry!"

"Cool!" Chihiro beamed and shoved her hands into her pockets, "So if we're buddies and all, I'm sure they'd let us have that Crystal Eye thingie, right?"

"Exactly!" Spyro snapped his claws then flew off, "They even set up a path between their castle and Ancient's Peak for quick communication, I'll just—OOF!"

Spyro rammed into something cold and hard, then slid down from that something—which was none other than an impressive stone wall. As he sat up and shook his head, Spyro took to the skies and flew back to Hugo and Chihiro.

"Was that wall always there?" Spyro asked.

"I don't think so," Hugo replied as he walked over to the wall and rapped his furry hand against it, "It seems pretty solid. I don't think regular attacks will take it down."

"Typical cyclops masonry." Spyro sighed then flew his way to the stairs, "Looks like we'll have to find another way there."

"It seems that way, Spy—" Hugo stopped short as he walked past Clam-Tron and did a double take, "Wait, is that a bomb?"

"Why, yes, yes it is," Clam-Tron replied as he made a curt nod and showed off another shiny, black bomb.

"Great! A bomb could open up the barrier!" Hugo exclaimed as he grinned and clasped his paws, only for his grin to fade into a look of nervousness, "… Or, blow us all up in the process, but hopefully the former."

"Worth a shot!" Chihiro exclaimed as she picked up the bomb.

Chihiro then nudged it over to Spyro, who lit it with a quick puff of smoldering embers. As the bomb sizzled and everybody stood back, Chihiro stood like a baseball pitcher, took a few wide swings then tossed it straight at the wall! Time seemed to stop as the bomb soared in the skies, then…

KA-BOOM! A loud, fiery explosion occurred as soon as bomb hit stone, then when the smoke started to clear they all saw that the wall had been reduced to little more than rubble.

"Man, that was some explosion!" Spyro whistled as he looked over the former wall.

"I know, right?" Chihiro made a wide grin as she looked at Spyro.

"Hello, is anyone there?" Cried out an elderly-sounding voice as the smoke finally dissipated, "And if you are, please tell me you're not cyclopes!"

With the smoke finally gone, a peach-skinned mole clothes in brown robes and goggles ran out of the walkway with a look of absolute terror on their face!

"Uh, no we aren't?" Chihiro replied as she scratched her head.

"THANK GOODNESS!" The mole exclaimed as they stumbled forward and hugged Hugo tight, "I've been trapped by those awful cyclopes in their horrible castle for weeks, making a tower for their Crystal Eye! I thought I'd never see the sun again!"

"So much for benevolent," Chihiro scoffed as she looked towards Spyro—but he seemed more concerned than angry.

"That's definitely wrong," Spyro remarked as he watched Hugo try to pry the mole off, "I've met those cyclopes myself, and none of them would do something like that."

Spyro's face darkened as he flew away from Chihiro and addressed the mole.

"They call me Diggs," the mole responded as they looked away from Spyro and frowned, "At least, I think they do."

"Then Diggs." Spyro adopted his most matter-of-fact voice, "You rest here for now. We Skylanders need to investigate something over at the castle."

Spyro then turned around and motioned for Prism Break and Wrecking Ball to join him.

"Wait, you're going?" Chihiro asked as she watched Spyro nod.

"Sorry, Chihiro." Spyro made an earnestly solemn expression, "I know I promised I'd help you with studying and all—"

"That's alright!" Chihiro made a chipper grin as she skipped up to Spyro's side, "I'll just come with you and we'll study along the way!"—Chihiro grabbed Spyro's paw and pointed towards the open pathway—"To Crystal Eye Castle we go!"

§

"Now, there's only one path to the castle, so it should be easy to get there," Spyro said as they crossed an amber-colored bridge.

"Should be?" Chihiro echoed as she tilted her head.

"Yep!" Spyro nodded his head as he flew ahead, "Photographic memory never fails and all—OOF!"

"Spyro!" Chihiro raced ahead and helped Spyro up, then looked at the thing he had collided with, which was a smooth, stone wall with an eye carved onto it.

"… Alright, maybe photographic memory does fail sometimes." Spyro sat up and shook his head, then frowned and placed a claw on his chin as he examined the gate, "Problem is, how are we going to get past this gate?"

Chihiro frowned and hummed along, then looked to the side of the gate.

There, a small, stone pillar stood tall and firm. It wasn't much bigger than Spyro, and would have seemed completely ordinary if not for the floating stone eyeball that hovered above it.

"I wonder…" Chihiro remarked as she held her hand up to the eye and watched as a small magic sphere formed in her palm.

With a snap of her fingers, the magic sphere shot straight into the eye and caused it to slam straight into the pillar! Then in turn, the gate slid down with a satisfying shing!

"Well, guess that's that!" Chihiro exclaimed as she straightened her vest and walked back to the group, "Now, let's go—"

"WATCH OUT!" Spyro shouted as he pushed Chihiro and the others out of the way.

"What was that for?!" Prism Break demanded as he fell on his rear and sat up, all while he rubbed his head.

Prism Break then stopped short as several large barrels with sparkling lit fuses rolled down the pathway ahead and fell off the ledge… Then exploded with a loud BANG!

"Okay, that _definitely _wasn't there the last time we paid a visit," Spyro remarked as he flew in place.

"Gee, you think?" Prism Break shot Spyro a glare as he stood up and rubbed his head.

Spyro just shrugged, then turned around and beamed.

"Hey, you, over there!" Spyro shouted as he waved over to the other side.

"What's he yelling at?" Chihiro asked as she turned to Wrecking Ball, who only made a hapless grunt.

The two of them leaned over a stone wall and looked up to find Spyro's targets. There, at the top of the path, was a pair of twin, teal-skinned cyclopes in heavy-looking stone armor who rolled the barrels down the way.

"It's us, the Skylanders!" Spyro called, then beamed as the cyclopes turned to face him, "We've come to pick up the Crystal Eye!"

The two cyclopes tilted their heads, then whispered between each other before they glared back at Spyro.

"So, is that a yes or a no?"

One of the cyclopes heaved a giant, heavy-looking gunpowder barrel over their head, then with a loud cry of war tossed it straight at Spyro!

"I'll take that as a no!" Spyro let out a yelp of surprise as he flew out of the barrel's trajectory, then watched as it exploded in midair thanks to a conveniently-timed laser from Prism Break.

"Guess the diplomatic approach is out of the question." Spyro sighed as he few back down and landed on the stone pathways.

"Then we'll just have to get through the old-fashioned way," Prism Break remarked as he turned over to Wrecking Ball and waved a crystalline hand, "Come on."

"Ooh ooh ohh!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he hopped up and down, "Does that mean I get to break things? Or eat things?"

"Sure thing!" Prism Break raced over to the mouth of the forwards path once more.

"Yay!"

As Wrecking Ball rolled over to Prism Break's side, Prism Break clapped his hands and summoned a giant crystal from beneath the earth! He then placed his crystal hands together and shot out a laser that refracted in ten different directions the moment it hit the crystal—all of which hit the barrels!

"Now's your chance, Wrecking Ball!" Prism Break proclaimed as he looked back at Wrecking Ball.

"YAY YAY YAY!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he leaped over Prism Break's crystal.

While the cyclops guards panicked, Wrecking Ball rolled himself into a ball then zoomed off at the speed of light! Wrecking Ball rammed himself straight into the cyclops guards with all the force of a dodgeball, then unfurled himself as the guards fell to the ground unconscious.

"Can I eat them now?" Wrecking Ball asked as he watched Prism Break walk up to his side.

"I don't think so," Prism Break said as he shook his head, "Cyclopes probably taste awful, anyways."

"Awwww, darn." Wrecking Ball pouted as he laid on his belly and sulked.

"I don't get it." Spyro's face turned a bit confused, a bit solemn as he flew up to join the others, "I've been to this place on errands more times than I can count, and nothing like this has ever been here! Why the sudden change?"

"Is it just me, or do you guys get the feeling we're being watched?" Chihiro asked as she looked over towards an eye statue, turned away, then did a double take, "I could've sworn I saw that thing move…"—Chihiro turned around and watched as everybody else proceeded—"Hey, guys, wait for me!"

When Chihiro rejoined the group, she looked over to Spyro and watched as he heaved a sigh.

"Still worried, Golden Boy?" Chihiro gently laid an arm around his shoulders.

"A little," Spyro replied as he nodded slightly, a tense smile on his face, "I can't possibly think of why they're all so hostile now!"—Spyro's tense smile dipped to an even tenser frown—"Well, I can think of a few, but…"

"They're not exactly pretty, right?" Chihiro tilted her head and frowned as she watched Spyro nod, "Well, if you need something else to think of…"—Chihiro made a grin—"I do still need help studying for that exam!"

"Oh, right!" Spyro snapped his claw, "Lemme think of a test question…"—Spyro placed his claws against his chin as he flew in place—"How about this? Skylander A intentionally wounds their portal master during an argument about patrol hours. What code would that be a violation of?"

Chihiro hummed and tapped her foot as she gazed up at the clouds.

"Code two?" Chihiro suggested at last.

"Well, you're close—it's actually code five!" Spyro held up a claw, "Code two is that Skylanders can't intentionally bring harm to those they hold power over without good reason,"—Spyro then clasped his paw—"But it's worded pretty similarly, I can't blame you for messing it up."  
"Darn." Chihiro huffed and crossed her arms.

"Are you two just gonna stand over there forever?" Prism Break shouted from across the area.

Spyro and Chihiro both turned around and saw that ahead of them, Prism Break and Wrecking Ball stood beside an open gateway! The two of them then giggled and scratched the backs of their heads.

"Coming!" Spyro and Chihiro shouted in unison as they raced up the pathway.

"Now," Spyro said as he flew next to Prism Break, "Which code has had its regulations debated by portal masters over the past century in regards to the practice of merchandise based on a Skylander's image?"

"Uh…" Chihiro sputtered as she looked down at the earth and tapped her foot, "… Uh, er, well…"—Chihiro made a nervous giggle—"… Seven?"

Spyro only shook his head.

"Code three. A Skylander must not exploit their position for wealth or status."

"I had a feeling it was that one." Chihiro hung her head as she trudged forwards, then shook it off and looked back at Spyro with fire in her eyes, "C'mon Gold, gimme another one!"

Spyro flapped in place as he thought some more.

"Which code has come under fire due to concerns of portal masters exploiting it for unnecessary labor of their Skylanders?"

"Look out!" Wrecking Ball shouted from across the room.

Spyro turned around and casually shot a fireball at a flying cyclops soldier before it could hit him while Chihiro contemplated.

"One?" Chihiro asked with a bit of worry in her eyes.

"Six," Spyro replied, "A Skylander must be willing to face any task or challenge given to them."

Chihiro groaned as she watched Spyro fly ahead and reluctantly torch a platoon of cyclops soldiers, then trudged beside him as they passed another round of stone walls and ominous-looking eye statues.

"Which code has caused certain portal masters to come under fire for their choice of Skylander recruits?" Spyro asked once more as he flew up a slanted pathway.

"Nine?"

"Eight." Spyro shot an eye statue and odd look then flew up the next path, "Skylanders must always be diligent, courageous and kind. I think Master Eon got hit with that one a couple times, to be honest."

Chihiro made another tired groan as she followed Spyro up the pathways, then tugged on her jacket as her eyes darted back and forth.

"Which code acts as the basis of the vows that both Skylanders and portal masters give when they begin their formal training?"

Chihiro winced and racked her brain as she sucked on her lip, then finally sighed and hung her head.

"I give."

"Nine." Spyro flew further upwards, then sat down between Prism Break and Wrecking Ball, "A Skylander must be willing to protect the universe at all costs."

Chihiro heaved a defeated sigh as she trudged over to a nearby pathway and picked up a strange, worn plush doll that vaguely resembled a teddy bear—only it had an eye and a fanged mouth in place of a normal face.

"I dunno if I'm ever gonna be ready for this test," Chihiro sighed as she rubbed her thumbs against the doll's plush body before she stowed it away in her pocket, "I think that's the tenth time I messed up!"

"Don't worry too much about it, Chihiro," Spyro reassured as he flew next to her, "I'm sure you'll get it even—OW!"—Spyro stopped short as something hit him straight in the head and turned around—"Alright, who threw—"

Spyro stopped short as they all found that right in front of them was a giant platoon of cyclopes warriors! They were all dressed in heavy, polished stone armor and their eyes were bloodshot to no end as they wielded carefully-crafted stone spears, swords and other weapons. And most of all, they looked like they were ready to kill!

"That?" Spyro shook his head as he thrust a fist to the sky, "Skylanders, attack!"

The cyclopes shouted their own battle cry in retaliation, and then all heck broke loose! As the warriors tossed their spears and slashed with their swords, Chihiro and the Skylanders retaliated with whatever they could! Laser beams, magic spheres, burst of flames… But something seemed… Wrong about it all.

"What's going on?!" Spyro demanded as he slapped away a tiny cyclops with a swing of his tail, "I thought we were allies!"

"Not anymore, dragon boy!" Cackled a shrill, mocking voice from up high.

Spyro looked up, then gasped and reeled back.

"This castle is under new management," Proclaimed a lanky, blue-skinned cyclops dressed in a crown and magnificent robes as he stepped out and smirked, "KAOS'S MANAGEMENT!"

"You're not the king!" Spyro shot a ball of solid ice out at a bulky looking cyclops soldier then glared down this cyclops king, "What're you doing here?! Who are you, even?!"

"Little old me?" The king simpered as he placed a hand to his chest and coughed, "I'm just an agent of Lord Kaos's wills, nothing more. And his orders are clear,"—The cyclops king's smirk widened—"He doesn't want any Skylanders in his lobby!"

The king pointed a finger out to the army.

"ATTACK THOSE SKYLANDERS! MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE!"

As the cries of the army grew more determined, the heroes' will to fight did as well!

The cyclops warriors all encircled Spyro, who only stepped back and growled as his eyes flashed green. With an upwards thrust of his head, giant thorny vines sprouted out from the group and wrapped themselves around the cyclops soldiers that once surrounded him! And those vines were tough, too! No matter how much those cyclopes squirmed, they couldn't possibly break free. All they could do was watch helplessly as Spyro charged into the vines and sent the cyclopes flying! Spyro smirked as he flapped in place, then…

"Owch!" Spyro exclaimed as he whipped his head right and left, "Where this did—YIKES!"

As a high-pitched cackle echoed through the area, Spyro whipped his head around and saw a tiny cyclops spearman jab his spear into Spyro's tail!

"Get off of me! I'm not your ride!" Spyro shook his tail as hard as he could, but the spearman's grip was too strong…

That is, until a long red tongue shot into the skies and wrapped around the spearman! With a yell of surprise the spearman was yanked off of Spyro's tail and straight into the mouth of Wrecking Ball! Wrecking Ball made a content burp as he gulped down the spearman… Then gagged and spit him back out!

"Breaks was right," Wrecking Ball said as he watched the saliva-covered cyclops roll on the ground, "Cyclopses taste yucky."

The two of them smiled and waved at each other, then a giant laser shot into the sky and nearly singed Spyro! Spyro winced as he flew back down, only for a giant blur to fly right overhead of him!

"Incoming!" Chihiro shouted as she bounced over Spyro, now surrounded by a circling ring of magic spheres.

With intense grunt after intense grunt, Chihiro shot out a wave of magic spheres that knocked away the cyclops warriors who had them cornered… But only for a moment. The warriors cackled as they got up, while Chihiro gulped and stepped back.

"Need a hand, Chihiro?" Spyro asked as he flew over to Chihiro's side and grabbed her hand.

His eyes flashed purple while his clasped paw glowed in the same color, then they both smiled and watched as Chihiro's spheres grew larger and streaked with purple. The two of them winked at each other, then stared down the cyclopes—who now looked increasingly worried.

"You asked for it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed to the cyclopes with her free hand, "It's the Magical Allegiance Double Decker Special, coming right at'cha!"

One by one the giant spheres zoomed off like rockets and slammed into the cyclops warriors, all of whom were completely helpless against this barrage. All they could do was let the spheres slam them into the nearby walls.

"WOO-HOO!" Chihiro hooted as she jumped in the air and pumped a fist, then gracefully landed on her feet and beamed back at Spyro, "Not bad, right? I think that nearly won us the battle!"

"OWCH!" Exclaimed Prism Break from halfway across the battlefield before he turned around and gasped, "Get off of me, you big mutt! Do I look like a chew toy to you?!"

"… And I spoke too soon." Chihiro sighed, then jolted up as she heard a low growling behind her.

Chihiro turned her head, then screamed and stumbled into Spyro's grasp!

There, right in front of her was a giant, blue-furred monster with a bloodshot red eye and a giant, toothy maw drawn back into a snarl large enough to showcase all its razor-sharp fangs! It had to have been about five times Chihiro's size—maybe even more! And worse yet, it wasn't the only one. About ten more had completely encroached on the Skylanders, who were back into a circle as these strange monsters glared them down like they were prey. They were far too big in both size and numbers for the Skylanders to fight… What could they possibly do?

"CYCLOPS MAMMOTHS!" The king proclaimed with a gesture of his hands, "Have fun tearing up your new chew toys!"

Chihiro, Spyro, Wrecking Ball and Prism Break all gulped as the Mammoths' growling grew louder and louder while they got ready to lunge… Then the ground underneath their feet was stolen away from them—literally! A giant door had opened up underneath them!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The four of them screamed in unison as they fell through the suddenly-created trapdoor…

§

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—OOF!"

As everybody finally hit the ground, they all moaned and looked down to find themselves on… A mattress? Yes, a firm white mattress with a few holes and springs loose, but it was a mattress nonetheless, and it did break their fall so that was something to be grateful for.

"What was that?" Chihiro asked as she got up and rubbed her sore shoulders, "One minute those things had us cornered, next thing we know we're falling down a pit!"

"Beats me," Spyro replied as he jumped off the mattress and stretched as well as he could in that stuffy room, "But at least we got out of there…"—Spyro looked up at the now-closed hole and frowned—"Now if only we knew where we were…"

As the other three jumped off, they tried to look around for any clues or hints to their locations, but it was no use. Everything here was so dark that it was hard to see much of anything at all!

"Maybe I should shed some light on things," Spyro said as he held up a paw, "One light source, coming right—"

_"Is that them?"_

_"Have they finally come for us?"_

_"What's going on?"_

"… Did you guys hear that?" Spyro whipped his head around the dark, dark room.

"Yeah!" Chihiro remarked as she stepped back, "It kinda sounds like… Voices?"

While everybody looked around, a chill fell over the room as if a ghost had found their way in, or if someone was watching them…

"Is somebody there?"

Chihiro creaked her head around… And saw eyeballs. Lots of eyeballs, all of which were fixed on them!

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Chihiro screamed as she scrambled back onto the mattress and pointed at the eyeballs, "WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?!"

Alerted by Chihiro's scream, Wrecking Ball, Spyro and Prism Break all got into offensive stances and prepared to attack! Whatever those things were, they certainly weren't going to get the best of them!

"It's really them!" Cried a voice with a faint British accent, "The Skylanders!"

With this spoken, somebody clapped their hands and the lights came on!

The room's true identity was revealed, but it was nothing fancy—just a simple large stone room that looked more like a basement than anything. What with all its cobwebs and insects and dark lightless tunnels to what was probably nowhere, it bore quite the resemblance. And those eyeballs… Were cyclopes of all shapes and sizes!

Chihiro let out a sharp gasp as she drew herself into an attacking position as well, tension thick in the room until…

"THE SKYLANDERS ARE HERE TO SAVE US!" The cyclopes cried as they raced forward and swept the quartet up in their arms, "HIP HIP!"

"WHAT?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she was lifted to the top of the crowd, but she got no response—rather, they tossed her up in the air!

"HOORAY!" They exclaimed as Chihiro, Spyro, Wrecking Ball and Prism Break fell back down onto the mattress while the crowd dispersed.

"Uh, thanks for the warm welcome," Spyro said as he brushed off his chest, "But, what's going on here?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know too!" Chihiro exclaimed as she crossed her arms.

"Me three!" Prism Break called from the back of the crowd as he made a stony frown—literally.

"Uh, me four!" Wrecking Ball chimed in as he bounced up and down, "Me four!"

Chihiro pouted and grumbled a bit, then her eyes trailed down to the floors where the doll she had claimed earlier now rested in perfect peace.

"Whoops, you must've fallen out when we landed!" Chihiro remarked as she jumped off of the mattress and lifted the doll from the grimy floors, "Sorry 'bout that!"

Chihiro wiped the grime off of the doll with her sleeve, them looked up to see a worn-looking cyclops woman draw towards Chihiro from the crowds. Chihiro took a step back in response before she took a look at the woman's gaze—which was fixed on the doll Chihiro held instead!

"That doll," The woman croaked as she took it out of Chihiro's hands and turned it around, "It couldn't be…"

The woman only broke down in sobs while she held the doll close.

Chihiro took on a solemn aura as she stepped towards the woman and gently rested a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Uh… Are you alright, miss?" Chihiro asked as she watched the woman wipe away her tears.

"This doll…" The woman took a solemn gaze at the doll as her lip quivered, "It belonged to my little boy. He, he was going to turn five soon… He said he'd invite all his friends, and they'd all play stoneball together…"

"… What happened to him?" Chihiro pursed her lips, and the glisten of worry in her eyes made it clear that she was almost scared to hear what happened next.

"He was playing outside with his friends, and made up this silly rhyme insulting the king and his appearance. It was a childish thing, the kind of thing you'd expect a boy his age to say." The woman's voice turned hoarse as she buried her face into the doll's soft plush, "The guards overheard him and reported it to the king, and, he was furious! He, he… His life was taken away from me, right then and there!"

As the woman broke into sobs once more, a shocked Chihiro drew the woman into a tight hug and gently stroked the woman's back as she buried her face into Chihiro's chest.

"I'm… I'm so sorry."

Spyro, Wrecking Ball and Prism Break's jaws dropped wide open while a somberness fell across the room.

"Is that true?" Spyro asked as he stepped forward.

"I'm afraid it is," Said another, more serious voice as another cyclops drew out from the shadows—a medium-height, teal-skinned one dressed in muddy clothes that accentuated their bloodshot eye and tired demeanor. Despite this, they carried an aura of leadership with their presence.

"If you'll allow me to introduce myself," The cyclops said as they walked forward and placed a hand on their chest, "My name is Eyesha. I'm what you could call the leader of this group."

Eyesha cleared their throat.

"All of us here…" Eyesha drew a hand around the crowd of cyclopes, who looked noticeably more tired and scared than before, "We were all driven underground for speaking against that _tyrant _who dares call himself a king."

As Eyesha gritted their teeth, Spyro frowned and flew up to face them.

"Dares calls himself a king?" Spyro asked, "What happened here? I've met the king here before, and he was…"

"Nothing like that, I know." Eyesha shook their head and growled, "That dictator was a puppet, put in place by Kaos himself!"

Another round of gasps was heard, but only from the Skylanders and Chihiro—everybody else only held their heads in sorrow.

"When Kaos destroyed the Core of Light, the Crystal Eye was flung back to our homelands." Eyesha stepped over to the mattress and sat down as they heaved a sigh, "We had planned to keep it safe for when the Skylanders would arrive and take it back to its rightful place…"—Eyesha hung their head further down—"Kaos had other ideas."

Eyesha trembled as they spoke, their body filled with a kind of rage that could be felt by everyone around.

"Kaos's army stormed out homelands and demanded that we not only relent to him, but give him the Crystal Eye instead!" Eyesha clutched the edge of the mattress tight, "And when we refused, he took it by force… Then he killed our king and put that puppet in his place!"

As Eyesha looked up and saw the look of utter shock on Spyro's face, they only shook their head.

"That's not the end of the story, though, I'm afraid. Even since then, that puppet has been forcing our people to fight in Kaos's armies so they can take prisoners and make them do all his dirty work." Eyesha staggered off of the mattress, "And his first order of business was to have an elaborate fortress built for the Crystal Eye to keep it safe for _Kaos__._"

"We've done all we could…" Piped up the woman who was sobbing in Chihiro's shoulder earlier as she wiped away her tears, "But against his armies, we're useless!"

"But!" Eyesha said as a glimmer of hope shone in their eye, "Now that the Skylanders are here, we finally stand a chance!"

"I knew hacking those surveillance eyeballs would come in handy someday!" Cried a voice from the cyclopes crowd.

"So that's what that was!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked over at the crowd, "I thought I felt someone watching me!"

Chihiro's expression remained surprised for a few moments, then she coughed into her hand and let go of the cyclops woman. As she faced the crowds and dusted herself off, Chihiro gained the utmost of serious looks on her face, now filled with a kind of resolve that great warriors possessed in the heat of battle.

"As guardians of all that is good, I promise," Chihiro proclaimed in her most official and serious voice, "We'll liberate you all from Kaos's grubby clutches! Just say the word and we'll do it!"

Excited gasps and cheers were heard from the crowds of cyclopes, and even Eyesha broke out into a smile as they watched Chihiro.

"Very well then," Eesha said as they made an ushering motion with their hands towards a few cyclopes, "Bring out the diagrams!"

The cyclops nodded and marched away, then returned with what appeared to be a giant map that laid out what seemed like the entire island in the most elaborate detail one could think of.

"Insider?" Eyesha prompted.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Said a small cyclops dressed in camouflage as they retrieved a pointer stick from their pocket and tapped it on the map.

"Now, the Crystal Eye's treasury is sealed away by the two Seeing Towers. Each Seeing Tower is powered by four switches that fill it with the magic energy it uses to keep the structure afloat. Destroy those, and the towers are toast."

"Sounds easy enough!" Chihiro exclaimed as she smacked a fist against her palm and examined the map herself.

"I wouldn't be so certain." Insider slapped their stick against their palm, then went back to dragging it across the map, "The path to the first tower is guarded by intricate puzzles that take the most scholarly of the bunch to solve, and the second is heavily guarded by elite cyclopes militia. We've got teams prepped, but we'll need some extra hands on deck."

Chihiro frowned as she examined the map further, while Spyro flitted over to her side and looked over the map. The two of them hummed for a few seconds, then looked at each other and made firm nods.

"Alright!" Spyro proclaimed as he and Chihiro looked over the crowds, "We'll help you take down those towers! With our powers combined, I'm sure we'll be able to do it!"

The crowds cheered once more, then paused as Prism Break and Wrecking Ball shifted through their ranks and regrouped with Spyro and Chihiro.

"Alright then, just one question…" Prism Break asked as he crossed his arms together, "Who's going with who?"

Spyro hummed and rubbed a claw against his chin, then looked back up at Prism Break and Wrecking Ball.

"Prism Break, you're pretty sturdy." Spyro pointed a claw towards Prism Break, then drew it over towards Wrecking Ball, "And Wrecks, you're good at destroying things, right?"

"Yes I am!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he bounced up and down with the utmost of glee, completely ignorant to the concerned glances of everyone around.

"You two can go with the second team—with your powers and experience, you'll take down those guards in no time!" Spyro said as he looked over at Chihiro, "Chihiro and I will go with team one."

"Okay, that's taken care of," Chihiro closed her eyes and crossed her arms as she made a scholarly nod, then peeped open one as she ran ahead, "Now come on! We've got an evil tyrant to take down! Who's with me?!"

Cheers of agreement and excitement alike resounded all around as everyone filed into the tunnels, more than ready to take on their mission…

§

Soft whispering and quiet footsteps were the only sounds heard as the first team passed through the tunnels, voices raised to no more than a hushed whisper as they spoke among themselves in order to keep from drawing attention from unwanted outside sources… Well, not that there _were _many outside sources to draw attention from. Everywhere you went, there was nothing but stone passageways, faint light from cracks in the walls, the occasional rat as it scurried by… It was almost enough to drive someone up a wall!

"Alright, Chihiro…" Spyro whispered as he looked over towards Chihiro, "What code number is this—a Skylander must never bring harm to those they hold power over without good reason?"

"Hmmm, that sounds important…" Chihiro whispered back, her voice raised a smidgen louder than Spyro's as she racked her brain, "… One?"

"Two." Spyro shook his head and frowned as he just barely saw Chihiro pout in the faint light, "Alright then,"—Spyro tilted his head towards Chihiro—"Skylanders must never practice forbidden magic—which one's that?"

"Nine?" Chihiro cast Spyro a pleading look.

"Four."

As Chihiro made a tired groan, she was shushed by the cyclopes who lead the crowd ahead of them.

"Keep it down!" Insider scolded from the head of the group, "We can't have anybody notice we're here!"

"But…" Chihiro retorted as she tilted her head, "We're the only ones—"

"My apologies, she's a bit new," Spyro butted in as he flew in front of Chihiro, then turned around to see her frown and sulk, "Let's just keep practicing, alright Chihiro?"

Chihiro grimaced as she crossed her arms, then finally she reluctantly nodded.

"Skylanders can't kill unless necessary?" Spyro asked.

"Nine?…" Chihiro suggested, only to frown as Spyro shook his head, "Darn."

"It's actually one." Spyro flew around a corner and urged Chihiro forwards, "Skylanders must be diligent, courageous and kind?"

"Ooh, ooh, I know this one!" Chihiro bounced up behind Spyro and beamed, "Uhhhhh… Five?"

"Eight. Skylanders must never harm their portal masters without good reason?"

"Six?"

"Four."

So, the two of them traded questions and answers—largely _incorrect _answers, but answers nonetheless—as they passed through what seemed like endless dark tunnels and corridors.

"Skylanders must be willing to face any task or challenge?"

"Ten?"

"Six. Skylanders must not exploit their position for wealth or status?"

"Seven?"

"Three. Skylanders work as a team?"

"… Four?"

"Ten."

This continued on for what seemed like forever, until Chihiro finally heaved a loud groan and flopped her back onto the stone walkways.

"This is gonna take me _forever_!" Chihiro whined as she made a look of utter defeat, "Will I ever be ready for that test?"

Chihiro looked up to Spyro as if she expected him to answer, but he was gone! He had flown over to the back of the group, which was crowded around what seemed like a source of light? Though it was masked by the group, a bright white light could be seen a few feet ahead. And more importantly, it caught Chihiro's attention immediately. She jumped and skipped over to the rear of the crowd, then peered overhead—which was quite easy to do since they were all so short.

"Alrighty," Insider said as they grabbed hold of what seemed like a stone manhole with several others by their side, "If my analysis is correct, then just pull open this baby and…"

With heavy grunts the cyclopes all pulled the manhole off… And a bright, sunlike light shone through!

Everybody immediately popped their heads through, then found that they were no longer inside those strange stone tunnels!

Rather, they had found themselves in what appeared to be a town square! Whimsically-colored stone houses with impressive wooden roofs and fantastic decorations were scattered about, stone walls were painted in all sorts of colors and even the floor's stone was an inviting shade of peach. Yet, despite its lovely appearance… There was nobody there in that town square save for a couple of birds of squirrels. It was practically lifeless.

"It sure seems lonely here," Chihiro remarked as she looked over the scenery and frowned.

"You could say that again," Insider replied with a sigh, "Even since that puppet king took over, everybody's been too scared to leave their houses. You disobey even one of his laws, no matter how minor…"

Insider only drew a finger across their throat.

"Yeah, I see your point," Chihiro winced as she looked back at Insider.

"Get down! The guards are coming!" Shouted the cyclops woman from before—Eyeantha, they had since learned her name was—from the back of the ground.

As tough footsteps sounded from afar, everybody gasped and ducked back down, then drew the manhole back over its hole in one swift movement. From the few holes within the manhole itself they spied the bodies of several armored guards as they stationed themselves, looked around… Then passed the area by!

As their bodies drew out of sight, Insider carefully pushed away the manhole and peered back outside.

"Coast is clear, everyone!" Insider proclaimed as they popped outside, "You can come out now!"

Everybody else popped back outside and glazed the area over one last time as Insider and a few others closed the manhole back up.

"Now, if my calculations are correct, there should be a gate somewhere around here…" Insider looked over to the lefthand side and beamed, "And there it is!"

Insider trotted off towards the far left with the others close behind, then presented them with a large, stone gate covered in colorful, glowing rainbow markings.

"This gate should put us on path to the first Seeing Eye Tower…" Insider frowned and rubbed their chin as they looked it over, "But how do we open it?"

"It doesn't look like there a lock," Spyro added as he flew forward and analyzed the gate, "Or a key!"

"And I don't see any switches anywhere!" Chihiro remarked as she spun around and whistled.

"Then I guess we'll just have to find another way out," Insider said as they turned back to address the group, "Split up and scour every corner of this place if you have too—there has to be some alternate means of escape around here!"

With affirmative nods the groups soon dispersed and scavenged all around the town square, all with a hasty sense of urgency as they searched for warps, magical gates, key cards… Anything that could have possibly opened a way.

"Nothing under here!" Spyro announced as he pulled up a swath of crates and barrels using magic and peered underneath their wooden selves.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Cried an elderly-sounding voice as several of the cyclopes were kicked—literally—out of some rando's house.

"Nothing in there either…" The cyclopes groaned as they sat back up and rubbed their heads.

"Nothing in this garden!" Cried someone else as they held up a flowerpot.

"Or these walls!"  
"Or this!"  
"Or that!"  
"Or any of these!"

As Chihiro watched them fruitlessly search from the alleyway she had been scouring, she sat down and heaved a sigh.

"Geez, how hard can it been to find a secret key or passageway or something?" Chihiro asked as she crossed her arms. Chihiro heaved another sigh as she brushed her feet against the cobblestone pathways, then…

"Someone, help!" Cried someone in the distance.

Chihiro jumped to her feet as the screams echoed across the horizons, then snapped her fingers and teleported onto a nearby house's roof. As she peered down from the rooftop with her balance kept with care, her eyes narrowed.

There, an alleyway across, several guards dressed in tough-looking stone armor had cornered an elderly cyclops man who shook so hard it might've caused an earthquake! The guards had gigantic stone cleavers that they rose in the air… As if they were getting ready to kill!

"Hey, that's not fair!" Chihiro exclaimed as she clasped her hands against the rooftop's edge and scowled.

With another snap of her fingers, Chihiro teleported in front of the cyclops man and threw up a shield made of magic! She cast the guards a smirk as their cleavers harmlessly clunked onto her shield, then in an instant she teleported right behind them as her hands glowed with cyan, magical light.

As she shot out a barrage of rapid punches, magic spheres shot out like lightning from a thundercloud and slammed straight into the guards' armor! But, unfortunately they weren't strong enough to completely destroy the armor or cause any other kind of serious harm! The most they did was create a few cracks in the armor itself.

While the guards turned around and faced her, the elderly man now completely forgotten in their minds, they lifted their cleavers… But they were too slow!

Chihiro merely teleported away once more as a magical hammer manifested in her grasp, then with a strained cry she slammed the hammer right onto their heads!

The hammer's blow resonated through the guards' whole bodies while the cracks in their armor grew more and more pronounced… Until the armor shattered completely into piles of tiny pebbles. All that as left was the white undershirts and striped boxers they wore! But, they were far too dizzy to notice—all they could do was stumble about in a concussed haze.

With a scoff, Chihiro ran over to the guards and slammed their heads together, then watched as they fell unconscious onto the pavement. Now that the battle was won, she looked up the elderly cyclops man.

"You alright?" Chihiro asked as she hopped over the unconscious guards and came to the man's side.

"I am, thanks to you!" The cyclops man proclaimed, his voice feeble and full of fear, "You saved my life, laddie!"

"It's no biggie!" Chihiro fanned a hand and cocked an eyebrow, "After all, the Skylander Code says… Er… Uh…"—Chihiro shook her head and shrugged—"Oh, whatever. What were those guards bugging you about, anyways?"

"Well…" The man trailed away from Chihiro's gaze and looked further down the alley, "I've been seeing these strange statues all over the place lately, so I went to investigate them further, but when I came up to this one those guards just jumped out and started badgering me out of nowhere!"

"Strange statues?…" Chihiro tilted her head and raised her eyebrows.

"Indeed! I'll show you!" The cyclops man walked further into the alley and ushered Chihiro to follow him.

Chihiro trailed behind the cyclops for a few paces, then came to a stop the same time he did. As they both finished walk, he stepped aside and showed her a brown stone statue that housed a glowing eyeball on its top.

"I'm no detective, but I have a feeling these things are bad news!"

Chihiro hummed and rubbed her chin as she examined the statue, then balled her hand into a fist and punched the eye straight in its pupil! But, it was no use—her hand only phased through the eye and smacked straight into the stone exterior. As she yowled in pain and stepped back, Chihiro looked back at the statue and gritted her teeth.

"Doesn't look like these things respond to brute force…" Chihiro remarked as her hands glowed a faint aqua, "Maybe magic's the answer!"

As she said that very sentence, a sphere of teal magic formed in her hand! Chihiro squeezed the sphere a few times, then tossed it at the eye like one would a baseball!

The sphere slammed against the eye, then with a bright flash of magic the eye vanished and left behind only a hollow, spherical stone!  
As they both beamed, the cyclops man walked up to Chihiro and shook her hand.

"Thank goodness, laddie! You did it!" The man said as he dug into his pocket and yanked out a crumpled paper list, "Take this,"—the man smoothed out the list and handed it over to Chihiro—"It's a list of all those stone statues I found! If anyone can bring them all down, it's you!"

"Can do, mister!" Chihiro nodded as she snagged the list, then closed her eyes and teleported away.

With a whoosh and a swirl of magic, Chihiro was whisked back into the heart of the town square, where she was greeted by the sound of confused, yet optimistic chatter.

"The gate's down?" Said a voice that was unmistakably Spyro's, "How'd that happen?"

"I happened!" Chihiro proclaimed as she opened her eyes and saw everybody crowded at the gate.

As she waved to the others and watched them crowd around her, Chihiro smiled and handed them the list.

"These gates are powered by these weird magic eyes—you gotta destroy them with magic to go on!" Chihiro handed over the list to Spyro, "Some old dude gave me a list of where they all are!"

"That's great, Chihiro!" Spyro said as he passed the list along to Insider.

Insider looked over the list, then nodded firmly and snagged the list inside their pocket.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Insider asked as they glazed all over the crowd, "Let's destroy some statues!"

With cheers of agreement, the entire group poured through the gate and ran so far away that the town square was little more than an afterthought in their minds… Because now, it was time to do some spelunking!

§

"Is the coast clear?" Prism Break asked as he poked his head around the corner of a stone house.

Their team's ventures outside the tunnels had lead them to what could best be described as a gigantic alleyway, walled with the backs of carefully-crafted stone houses and buildings. Barrels and crates were piled like leaves in autumn around the area, which gave them careful protection from…

"GUARDS!" Exclaimed a cyclops from their team in the quietest voice they could manage, "Quick, hide!"

Everybody took heed immediately as they dodged behind and inside crates and barrels, then peered just a smidgen around to see several rows of muscular guards in fancy storm armor march down the streets before they went back to hiding once more.

Prism Break grunted as he poked his head out from the stack of wooden barrels he had hidden behind and looked ahead.

Not that far away was a town square, but the only ones there were more and more soldiers—just how many soldiers did this king have, anyways? There had to have been at least seventy of them stationed at the square in a dutiful pace.

"You guys weren't kidding when you said this place was armed," Prism Break remarked.

"Can I eat them?" Wrecking Ball asked as he popped up from a crate, "I wanna eat them."

"NO!" Insisted a tiny cyclops as they yanked Wrecking Ball off the crates, "We can't make a fuss—they completely outnumber us! We can't go in without a plan!"

"Wrecking Ball, you need to stop thinking with your stomach!" Prism Break scolded as he poked his head over to look at them, "One wrong move, and we're all toast!"

"Toast? I like toast!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he jumped up once more, "And I bet it tastes good with cyclopses!"

Before anyone could retort, Wrecking Ball made a hyper giggle and zoomed out from the crates he once hid behind.

"WRECKING BALL!" Prism Break exclaimed as he groaned, then vaulted out from behind the barrels and chased after Wrecking Ball.

It wasn't very easy for Prism Break, unfortunately. Wrecking Ball was a fast little thing, and while being made of stone and crystal was good for many things, speed was unfortunately not one of them. As Prism Break stopped to catch his breath, he looked up and watched as Wrecking Ball eyed a particularly intimidating cyclops guard!

Wrecking Ball giggled and licked his lips, but Prism Break only gasped.

"Wrecking Ball, don't do it!" Prism Break warned, but he was far too late.

In one smooth second Wrecking Ball shot out his tongue, wrapped it around the guard's legs and yanked the guard into his mouth! The guard screamed in horror as Wrecking Ball gnawed on his torso… Then spat his back out and gagged.

"Ugh… Too big…" Wrecking Ball groaned and stumbled about in a haze.

Alerted by their companion's screams, the other cyclops guards all glared down Wrecking Ball and whipped out their weapons! Their mouths twisted into fanged scowls as Wrecking Ball shook his head and made a nervous giggle.

"So much for keeping a low profile," Prism Break scoffed as he brushed off his gravelly arms and charged into the heat of battle!

With a clap of his crystalline hands, bright lasers shot out and aimed straight at the guards! But, they did nothing. As soon as they hit the guards' stone armor, they harmlessly fizzled out!

Prism Break made a shocked gasp as he looked down at his hands, then back at the guards as they charged.

"HI-YAH!" Screamed the rest of the team as they hopped out from their hiding spots and raised their weapons high!

With shouts of combat they crashed towards the guards with their stone swords and spears, but their weapons were of far lower quality compared to the guards' polished stone armor and cleavers. Right then and there, they all just shattered!

A couple of Prism Break's teammates winced as they looked down at their broken weaponry, then looked up as a loud cry echoed from the skies!

Like a grubby blue bullet Wrecking Ball crashed down from the heavens and struck a guard in the head… Only to harmlessly bounce off of the guard's helmet and roll onto the floor with a groan.

Wrecking Ball groaned as he stood back up and shook his head, then heard a cry of pain and turned around!

A guard had tossed off a tiny cyclops dressed in rags from their cleaver, and it looked like the guard was ready to cut them right open!

"Not today!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he rolled with the speed of a greased pinball!

With intense speed Wrecking Ball wove through the crowds, then as soon as he got under the guard's legs he yanked the cyclops out of the guard's reach with his tongue! While the cyclops guard stumbled back in shock, Wrecking Ball gently laid the cyclops he had rescued down on the ground.

"Thanks!" The cyclops said as they wiped Wrecking Ball's slobber off their clothes, "… I guess?"

"No problem!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he waddled up to the cyclops and nuzzled their chest.

But while Wrecking Ball was able to rescue one of their ranks, the others weren't so lucky! They had been backed into a corner by the guards, who seemed to have multiplied in ranks as more faces joined the fray.

Prism Break grunted and bore his fangs as he felt his back hit the wall, then narrowed his eyes and cast an aside glance towards his hands…. Then back at the head guard's armor, which seemed to have… A tiny crack? Prism Break's eyes widened, then he thrust his arm forward and shot a laser straight at the crack… Or so he thought. Rather, he was off by a mark and ended up hitting a guard in the back of the crowd in the eye instead!

Prism Break made a soft gasp as he withdrew his hand, a glimmer of an idea seemingly in his eyes, but whatever it was he didn't get the chance to use it.

All the guards had crowded out any means of escape, and they seemed ready to kill.

"Any last words, traitor scum?" The lead guard asked as he held his cleaver up to Prism Break's neck.

"YEAH, I'VE GOT SOME!" Cried a childish voice from outside the crowd, "EAT THIS!"

Laughter echoed from the skies as a big blue meteor crashed down into the center of the circle and sent the whole team flying! Everybody screamed as the guards tried to cut down the strange projectile, but it only leaped back into the air and flew past a few cyclopes!

"WRECKING BALL?!" Prism Break exclaimed.

Wrecking Ball only giggled as he wrapped his tongue around Prism Break and the cyclops rebels, then tossed them onto the flat top of a tall stone building. As they crashed onto the top, Wrecking Ball crashed down with them and rolled into Prism Break's lap.

"You alrighty?" Wrecking Ball asked as he tilted his head.

"Wrecking Ball, I can't believe you just did that!" Prism Break exclaimed, more wonder in his voice than anger as he warily patted Wrecking Ball's head.

Wrecking Ball only giggled as he bounced up and down on Prism Break, his green eyes lit with eager energy.

As Prism Break glanced over Wrecking Ball, a small glimmer of inspiration glinted in his eyes.

"Wrecking Ball, come here." Prism Break ushered Wrecking Ball forward and leaned to whisper in his ear, "I've got a plan."

"Ooh, ooh, I like plans!" Wrecking Ball stopped bouncing and made a confused frown, "What plan?"

Prism Break whispered the plan into Wrecking Ball's… Holes, one would have to guess? Grub worms don't exactly have ears and all.

"Can you pull it off?" Prism Break asked with all manner of wariness in his voice, as if he wasn't entirely sure he could pull it off himself.

"You bet'cha!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he looked down at the guards that had gathered down below.

"Then let's do it."

Prism Break and Wrecking Ball looked at each and nodded, then leaped down the floor! As Prism Break sunk down first and crashed onto the floor, a giant crystal formed in front of him! While the guards chattered around him in angered orders, Prism Break shot a laser from his hands at the crystal… Right as Wrecking Ball slammed into the crystal and shattered it into a million pieces!

The pieces refracted Prism Break's one laser into a thousand different ones that shot out in every single direction one could think of—such as the eyes of all the guards around!

"AH, MY EYE!" Cried a cyclops guard as he stumbled into another.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, DOOFUS!" Cried the guard he had bumped into.

"I CAN'T, I CAN'T SEE A THING!" The guard stumbled about in a sightless haze, "MY EYE'S BURNT!"

"The beam is supreme," Prism Break smirked as he looked down and blew the smoke off of his hands.

The other members of their team all leaped down from the top of the building they resided on as cries of victory escaped from their lips, then with smirks they fixed their eyes on the incapacitated guards.

They were a pack of angry elephants they charged forward and snagged the guards' weapons, right as the guards' vision returned to them!

As the guards look up to see that the ones that they once tried to imprison had them cornered, they only gulped.

The rebels attacked the guards in what could only be described as one big ball of violence, one so full of movement that it kicked up dust and shielded those around from any vision of the battle! By the time it cleared, all that was left were unconscious guards and cheering rebels.

"That was fun!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he bounced up and down, "Let's do that again!"

"NO!" Cried everybody else.

As Wrecking Ball pouted and fell on his belly, Prism Break awkwardly stroked his back.

"You did good out there, kid," Prism Break whispered as he cast an awkward glance aside to the rebels, who were now pilfering the guards' armor.

"Really?" Wrecking Ball asked as he looked up at Prism Break with wide eyes.

Prism Break made a slight nod, while Wrecking Ball beamed and went back to bouncing once more.

"Hey, everyone!" Called a cyclops in mage robes as he pulled a ring of something from an unconscious guard, "I found some keys on this dude! Think we could use them for anything?"

"How about that gate over there?" Suggested a brawny-looking cyclops as they pointed to someplace adjacent from where their battle had taken place.

There, right before them, was a wooden gate held fast with a golden lock! It was odd, seeing something made of any material other than stone in such an area… Could it lead to somewhere important?

"Worth a shot," remarked the mage cyclops as they walked over to the gate and unlocked it.

As the lock fell aside and the gate swung open, everybody crowded down the path it revealed…

§

"Hmmm…" Chihiro hummed as she tilted her head, her eyes fixed on the strange object in front of her.

"Hmmm…" A couple of the cyclopes mimicked as they tilted their heads much like Chihiro did.

As they stared at the strange object, Insider groaned and pushed forward.

"If we're done humming now," Insider said as they crossed their arms, "Can you give me an answer on how to open this gate?"

Insider then shot a glare at the object they were looking at.

It was a simple, unmarked stone gate, its only decoration a round, eye-shaped impression in the center of its surface.

"I'm completely stumped, buddy!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned back and rapped on the gate's stony surface, "There's no keys, no switches, nothing! I don't know how—"

"WHO DARES CHALLENGE MY RIDDLES?!" Demanded a booming voice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Chihiro screamed as she jumped back and watched the eyelike impression shoot open!

A minty green mist wafted out from the impression, before it gathered together in a fluffy cloud and solidified into the ghost of a cyclops's head!

"You may only pass if you solve my riddles!" The cyclops head boomed as it glared down the party of rebels, "Who wishes to take on my challenge?"

Whispers and mutters echoed around the crowd as they turned inside their group… Then Eyeantha fluffed out her dress and stepped forward.

"I'll take on your challenge!" She proclaimed, a mighty fire in her eye, "I love a good brainteaser, after all!"

"I will warn you, these are more than just simple brainteasers!" The cyclops head proclaimed as it gave Eyeantha a concerned glance, "These riddles have stumped even the best of scholars!"

"If I didn't have a brain for puzzles, I wouldn't have become a nurse!" Eyeantha made a wry grin as she crossed her arms, "Hit me with your best shot!"

"Very well, here is my first riddle." The cyclops head nodded and closed its eye, then shot wide open, "I am dark, yet bright. I am quiet, yet full of life, I am both an end, and a beginning. What am I?"

"Midnight!" Eyeantha closed her eye and beamed a very smug beam.

"WHAT?!" The head's jaw dropped wide open, then it shook and collected itself, "Very well then… Bright as a rainbow, bursting with life, but take a bite and you'll lose yours! What am I?"

The look of pride on Eyeantha's face drifted away as she looked down and tapped her feet, clearly lost in contemplation.

"Hmm…" Eyeantha looked up at last, "A poisonous mushroom!"

"Why… That's correct!" The cyclops head looked at Eyeantha in sheer wonder, then growled so hard it was a wonder its eye didn't turn a flaming red right then and there!

"THIS IS MY HARDEST RIDDLE YET! MANY HAVE FALLEN AT THE TRICKS OF THIS CONUNDRUM!" The head let out a mighty bellows that stretched across the heavens, "ONE AND TWO, TEN AND FIFTY! HEADS ARE DUAL, BUT LEGS ARE PLENTY! OUTSIDE IS SWEET, BUT INSIDE IS SPICY! WHAT AM I?"

"Oh, that's an easy one!" Eyeantha exclaimed with a snap of her fingers, "It's a..."—Eyeantha's mouth twisted into a frown as she rubbed her chin—"Well... Err..."

"WRONG!" The cyclops head exclaimed with such force it never blew everyone away.

"Wait a second!" Eyeantha's jaw dropped wide open, "I didn't even get to answer…"

Eyeantha shook her head and turned back to the group, who all gave her puzzled stairs.

"Do you have any idea what it could be?"

Mumblings and mutters resounded around the ground as everybody fell deep into contemplation.

"Could it be an ostrich?…" Suggested one cyclops.

"No," replied their conversation partner with a shake of their head, "Doesn't have enough legs. If you ask me, I say it's a salamander"

"What are you kidding?" Butted in a third party, "It's clearly a dragon!"

"No, it's an ostrich!"

"It's a fire-breathing basilisk!"

"A chompy!"

As everybody dissolved into chaos and arguments about the answer's identity, Chihiro chirped and hopped back to the front of the gate.

"What about a two-headed, fifty-legged, strawberry candy ice cream sphinx?" Chihiro suggested as she looked up at the head.

"That's ridiculous!" Shot back a cyclops from the group, "There's no way—"

"EGADS!" Cried the cyclops head as its form started to flicker, "YOU WERE RIGHT! NOBODY HAS EVER GOTTEN THAT CONUNDRUM RIGHT BEFORE!"

"WHAT?!" Everybody else exclaimed from the group.

"Ah, it was nothing~" Chihiro said as she flapped her hand, "I can't believe I got it right, to be honest…"

"Very well then," The cyclops head said as it bowed its head and slowly faded away, "You may pass this area."

And with that said, the cyclops head faded away and the stone gate drew down with a mighty rumble.

"Be careful, everyone," Insider warned as the gate finally reached its lowest point, "For all we know, there could be traps—"

"Ah, I wouldn't worry too much!" Chihiro said as she spun in front of Insider and glazed over the grassy plains that made up their next travel destination, "All you can see is grass for miles on end!"

Chihiro then hopped a step ahead, only for a patch of dirt underneath her feet to depress and send her falling into the grass!

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Chihiro waved her arms and flailed about as she tried to regain her balance, but it was no use. She only plummeted face-first into the grass.

"OWCH!" Chihiro scoffed as she pushed herself back up and wiped the dirt off of her face, then frowned as she looked ahead.

"Wait, is something coming out of there?" Chihiro asked as she held a hand over her eyes and watched the plains ahead.

There, it seemed almost like two large cylinders were rising from the grass, complete with a slow rumble like something swerving into view… Then the cylinders stopped.

And with a hiss, then slid open to reveal… Armed cyclops guards!

The guards cried out and charged into battle as the rebels gasped, but Spyro and Chihiro were quick to react as they jumped in front of the herd!

"What're you doing?!" Asked one of the rebels.

"Skylander Code number eight!" Chihiro proclaimed as she tossed out a shield with one hand, "A Skylander must always be diligent, courageous and kind!"

Once those words left her lips, Chihiro's eyes widened with glee as she jumped into the air.

"I GOT IT!" Chihiro shouted to the heavens as she bounced up and down, "I GOT IT RIGHT, I GOT IT RIGHT, I GOT IT RIGHT!"

As Chihiro bounced, however, the shield she cast flickered out of existence—right as a guard swung their stone ax right at her! Before anyone could react, however, a circle of giant stone pillars formed around the team and blocked any sort of blow the enemies threw! Chihiro gasped, then turned around to see a brown-eyed Spyro wink back at her.

With a grin, Chihiro made a knowing nod them teleported outside the circle to see that the guards were now fruitlessly attempting to yank their axes out of the pillars. Chihiro giggled, then summoned a magical hammer, then swung it forward and slammed it into the ground! The resulting shockwave was so great, so mighty, that it not only shattered the pillars Spyro had summoned and the axes lodged within them, but the armor that the cyclopes soldiers wore as well!

Everybody shuddered in place from the shock, then as they came to their senses Spyro and the rebels cast smug looks over at the now-terrified soldiers.

"Not so big and tough now, are ya?" Chihiro asked as she whisked her hammer away.

"What, what, what are you gonna do to us?" Asked one soldier as he clung to his buddy.

"Are, are you gonna kill us?" Questioned the other.

"Nope! Skylander Code Number One, Skylanders can't kill unless it's absolutely necessary," Chihiro replied as she shook her head then smirked, "But, it doesn't cover this!"

With a snap of her fingers, a pastel-colored, sparkly mist emerged from her fingers and wafted around the soldiers, who took a few whiffs of it… Then crashed onto the ground, now completely asleep!

"Sweet dreams~" Chihiro playfully stuck her tongue out at the guards, then smiled as she whipped her head around and watched the cylinders sink back into the ground.

Chihiro hummed and tilted her head, then skipped ahead with an energy sphere held tight in her grasp. As she ran past the spot where the cylinders once stood, Chihiro beamed.

There, right before her was a tall statue with a glowing eye-shaped top! With a snap of her fingers, the energy sphere whizzed out of her hand and slammed straight into the eye portion of the statue, which caused it to fizzle out! As the eye harmlessly rolled off the statue, a gigantic rumble was heard from the westward portion of the fields.

"Follow that noise!" Insider ordered as they charged west.

"Y'know, I wonder what's next?" Chihiro asked as she rejoined the back of the group and rested her arms against her head, "Super intricate riddles? Warp puzzles? A cooking contest?"

The group then came to a halt as they gazed over the path before them, or well, what was left of it, anyways. Beyond the large, stone block underneath their feet that was likely once a gate, there seemed to be a long pathway made of grassy hills… Except the pathway was filled with gigantic, deep-looking square holes!

"And turtles," Chihiro remarked as she jumped up and poked her head over the crowd, "Lot of turtles."

Chihiro was right—also stationed through the path were large, sleepy turtles with sturdy-looking yellow shells. They seemed a lot bigger than the average turtle, maybe ten times its size?

"Hmmm…" Spyro hummed as he flew over and examined the turtles, a claw rested on his chin, "If that's that…"—Spyro flew down a hole for a few minutes and popped back up—"I've got an idea! These turtles are just the right size to fill these holes—so why not push them in?"

"Good idea, Golden Boy!" Chihiro said as she watched the cyclopes nod and disperse towards the various turtles.

They all pushed and prodded and tried their best to get the turtles into the holes… But, it didn't quite work out. The turtles were far too heavy and sleepy, and the cyclopes were far too weak to push the turtles in themselves, even with all hands on deck.

"Hey, need some help?" Chihiro asked as she skipped up to a group, "Cause that's what I'm here for!"

"No, we've got it, it's fine," insisted one cyclops as they joined the group in pushing the turtle… Before they all groaned and collapsed onto the ground, the turtle still stagnant where it stood.

"Okay, maybe a little."

"Well, that's what I'm here for!" Chihiro rested her hand on the side of the turtle's shell, "Skylander Code Number Six—a Skylander must be willing to face any task or challenge given to them!"

While Chihiro spoke, her hand and soon the turtle as well were enveloped in a cyan-colored glow, before the turtle magically floated off the group and into the hole. As the turtle slid inside the hole, Chihiro bounced off to the next group and did the same thing to their turtle… And the next… And the next…

Not one to be outdone, Spyro swooped down to a group stationed near the end of the path, then with a flash of purple in his eyes and a tap of his claws, the turtle soared into the air before it crashed straight into the hole!

Soon enough, the turtles that were once scattered around the area had completely filled in all the path's gaps. With smiles and nods all around, the group passed through the turtle bridge, though it felt like forever with the anticipation of what awaited them all around! There could be monsters, or intense riddles, or who knows what else! Everybody's hearts were bated as they finally hit the top, then…

"Wait a second…" Spyro said as he tilted his head, "Didn't we pass by this place before?"

Murmurs of concern were heard among the group as they examine the area before them.

It looked like an ordinary town square with its fancy buildings and colorful floors, but something about it seemed oddly familiar for reasons nobody could quite pin their fingers on…

"Hey, wait a minute!" Exclaimed a cyclops in the head of the group at last, "This was the place we started out at!"

Chihiro frowned, then skipped out the group and tilted her head.

"Really?…" She asked before she stepped a few paces forward and fixed her eyes on an open stone gate that seemed awfully familiar, "Wait a second, that's the same gate we passed earlier! He's right!"

"Have we been going in circles this whole time?!" Exclaimed a cyclops from the rear of the group.

"I wouldn't be so certain," chimed in another voice as someone stepped forth.

That someone was a teal-skinned cyclops of about medium height with a worn purple eye. Stained blue clothes decorated in stars and crescent moons and other magical symbols clothed their body, alongside a well-loved brown leather satchel that hung from the side of their hip.

The cyclops made an inquisitive hum, then burrowed their hands into their satchel and pulled out a glassy orb that shone with magical power! As they held the orb in one hand, they waved their free hand around in circular motions, then glazed over the town square!

The town square slowly warbled in and out of existence, then finally vanished entirely with only a vast, grassy field and a tall stone statue much like the one they broke before stationed among its lengths.

"It was actually an illusion!" Cried the wizard cyclops among shocked chatter from the crowd.

"Huh, who would've guessed?" Chihiro remarked with a shrug and a tilt of her head, "Anyways, let's get that switch!"

Chihiro skipped across the grassy fields with an occasional spin or two made as a few of the other cyclopes trailed behind her, the wizard included. However, as they walked, the wizard's eye cast suspicious glances here and there while they played with their hands in a way that seemed to indicate their anxiety.

"What're you so worried about?" Chihiro asked as she stopped spinning about and looked back at the wizard, "It's not like there's anyone here!"

"I wouldn't be so certain…" The wizard replied as they shook their head, "I can feel some very strange magic signatures in the air…"

"Signatures, smignatures!" Scoffed a cyclops man as they jabbed an elbow into the wizard's shoulder, "If whoever did this didn't want us around, they'd have knocked us out already!"

Chihiro made a shrug of what seemed like slight agreement, then turned around and looked up the switch. While the switch loomed over her in its entire glory, Chihiro whipped up a quick energy sphere and wound up her arm.

"AND SERVED!" Chihiro proclaimed as she tossed the energy sphere and watched it whiz right towards the eye… Only to hit some kind of light-constructed shield and bounce off to the side!

"A shield!?" Chihiro jumped back with her mouth completely agape, "How'd that get there?!"

Cackling broke into the air like disease as everybody panicked and looked every which way!

"WHO'S THERE?!" Demanded the wizard as they spun their head around then gasped.

Out of seemingly nowhere stepped an identical trio of cyclopes, all dressed in fancy robes with elaborate crystal and stone staffs wielded in their near-skeletal hands. Fanged smirks crossed their mouths as they watched the crowd turn around and face them, while an aura of menace was cast around their space.

"I knew there was something wrong!" The wizard exclaimed as they cast the doubter a glare, "Now will you listen to me?"

The doubter only crossed his arms and scoffed at the wizard, then whipped out and spun around a stone ax before he grasped it tight!

His lead followed, everybody else drew their weapons and magic, ready to attack…

But with a wave of their staffs, the cyclops mages shot out a burst of light and watched as the crowd all raced back!

The light stopped at the place in the fields where they once stood, before it slowly solidified and brought forth perfect clones of the team, all with scowls borne and a halo of rage surrounded.

The reals looked at their fakes in sheer shock in confusion, while the fakes grabbed their weapons and lunged forward! It was a battle of both mind and body as the groups went to war… Or at least they would've, if they could have actually told who was who! All around, friends became enemies, family turned against one another, and nobody could tell what was what!

"How're we supposed to tell who's real and who's not?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she narrowly dodged a cyclops that had thrust forward with a sword in hand.

"Try to look for a tell!" Cried the wizard as they teleported away from a furious-looking brawler, "Usually these kinds of clones have something small that sets them apart from the real!"

"That's easier said than done…" Chihiro only winced as she clenched her teeth and looked out at the brawling crowds.

There, a cyclops who wielded a stone hammer winced as they were flanked by a trio of cyclops warriors, all of which imposed over the hammer-wielding cyclops like the stone switch they had seen earlier.

"What are you standing there for?!" Exclaimed the ax-wielding cyclops as he glared down his ally, "Just knock them out already!"

"I can't!" Cried the hammer-wielding cyclops as they looked back at the one with the ax, "I can't tell which one's which!"

"Oh, forget this!" The ax cyclops groaned, then launched forward and smacked a cyclops on the head with the blunt end of his hammer!

"What was that for?!" Exclaimed the cyclops as they glared at the ax-wielder and rubbed the sore spot on their head.

Before he could respond, however, his victim's clone launched forward and knocked him out cold with the stone club they wielded! The illusion growled as it glared down the hammer cyclops and got ready to charge… But not before a syringe jammed into its neck!

Its eye closed as the syringe's fluid injected into it before it crashed back onto the ground and faded into light.

The syringe, meanwhile, flew back to its wielder… Eyeantha! With a smirk she blew off its needle and looked ahead, where her own fake stood tall and ready for a showdown.

The fake growled as it shot out a needle of its own, but Eyeantha swiftly stepped aside and watched the mistimed syringe hit the back of another illusion instead! As the illusion slowly started to fade, Eyeantha stepped up to it and looked at its eye… Then frowned, because the eye was completely blank! No iris, pupil, nothing! Just blank white space.

"Everyone!" Eyeantha exclaimed as she shot a syringe at the fake and watched it fade away, "The fake ones' eyes are blank up close—look for those!"

"Got it!" Chihiro exclaimed with a smile as she spun around and gave the medic a thumbs up.

Just then, Chihiro squeaked and ducked down, because Spyro had charged towards her and shot out a volley of flaming hot fireballs! With another chorus of squeaks Chihiro jumped out the path of each one, then high-tailed it north.

"Hey, stop it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she glared down Spyro, who was still in hot (no pun intended) pursuit, "Skylander code five says that Skylanders cant hurt their portal masters!"—Chihiro's eyes lit up as she jumped in the air and clapped her feet—"Woo-hoo! I got another one right!"

Chihiro's beam was short-lived, however, because a quick turn around saw that a fireball was fixed on her path! With a scream of panic she floated out of the way and watched it race into the stratosphere, then lurched over and breathed a sigh of relief… Only to hear a screeching sound and look up to see that even more of them were fixed on her path!

The battlefield had turned into a fiery game of dodgeball as Chihiro skidded and dodged each one, before she heaved an irritated sigh and looked back at Spyro.

"I really don't wanna do this to you, Spyro," Chihiro exclaimed as her hands flared with aqua, "But you're not giving me any other options!"

Chihiro let out determined shouts as she punched the air with her fists and sent a volley of aqua magic spheres hurtling towards Spyro… But not even one landed a hit! He merely dodged it like it was no more than a gnat!

"Just my luck…" Chihiro groaned and held her head, then cocked an eyebrow as she looked back, up, "Is it getting warmer out here, or…"

Chihiro looked back at Spyro, but he could barely be seen. However, the gigantic fireball he charged up certainly was!

"CRAP!"

Chihiro leaned forward and got ready to dodge, but before she could a purple blur zoomed past her and crashed straight into Spyro! Spyro screamed out in pain as the blur slammed into him, then… Began fizzling in and out of reality before he disappeared entirely?

Chihiro tilted her head in confusion, then smiled as the blur shook its head and revealed itself to be none other than the real, authentic Spyro! With smiles all around, Chihiro floated back down to the ground while Spyro flew down beside her, then Chihiro gave Spyro a thumbs up.

"Thanks for the save, Gold—" Chihiro said, before she stopped short as something leaped onto her back and caused her to stumble backwards, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Chihiro spun and flailed about in confusion as she desperately tried to get her mysterious assailant off of her back, then she finally got a hold of its arm and yanked off its balance! With a mighty yell she grabbed the thing and slammed it into the grass, its identity found to be… A clone of her!

"You!" Chihiro pointed right at the illusion of her, then put her hands on her hips as the illusion pointed back at her, "Stop copying me!"

The illusion Chihiro did not, in fact, stop copying its real self—it put its hands on its hips and stuck out its tongue, then snicked as the real Chihiro's face to turn as red as a cherry tomato!

"Alright, now you're asking for it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stormed forward and rolled up her sleeves.

Chihiro cried out as she punched her fake in the face! The fake stumbled back and rubbed the bruise on its cheek, then growled and leaped forward towards Chihiro before everything dissolved into one gigantic ball of violence that kicked up dirt and dust everywhere you looked!

Everybody else crowded around in some kind of odd fascination as they watched the two Chihiros fight, real and fake alike… Then the real versions looked at their clones and cried out! The fakes stumbled back in momentary confusion, but that moment of confusion was enough their real selves needed to launch forward and attack! The swift timing on their side, the real versions of the team broke into battle as they beat their fake selves back into nonexistence!

While the other clones faded away, Chihiro had pinned down her own clone and punched the clone right in the eye once more! The fake cried out in raw pain, then winced as Chihiro gripped its shoulder tight and looked up at Chihiro. Chihiro only smirked as lightning crackled at her fingertips, then with a snap of her free hand's fingers, lightning coursed through her body and electrocuted the fake self! As the fake self's body began to glitch out, it made a warped cry of pain then disappeared in a puff of sparkles.

"… Man, when people talk about beating themselves up," Chihiro remarked as she loosened her hand, which crackled with static still, "I don't think they mean it literally."

Frantic chatter gained Chihiro's attention as she looked over to the side, where the cyclops illusionists who had once looked pretty confident now seemed awfully terrified! As they waved their wands, Chihiro leaned forward and got ready to sprint after them…

But a couple of syringes beat her to the punch! Several of them launched straight into the illusionists and jabbed into their shoulders, which in turn cause the illusionists to fall asleep and crash onto the floor in a pile!

"Nothing like good old anesthesia!" Eyeantha proclaimed as the syringes flew back to her.

The other cyclopes rebels immediately went to work as they crowded around the illusionists with shuffling noises heard all around.

"Hopefully this will keep them here for a while," Insider remarked as they dusted off their hands and gazed over the illusionists, which were now bound together with tight, itchy rope a smidgen on the tight side, "Now, we've got no time to lose!"—Insider's gaze fixed itself on the stone switch—"Let's get those next couple switches!"

Spyro nodded in agreement, then flew up to the switch while his eyes flashed purple. He looked down at his paw and watched as an orb made of crackling magic formed inside, then tossed it at the eye! The eye's light faded as the orb made contact, then with a rumble it rolled off its pedestal and crashed into the ground!

Everybody cheered as Spyro flew back down to the ground, then gasped as a warp panel fizzled into existence in front of the switch's pedestal! With cheers and excited yells they all jumped on… But nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Chihiro exclaimed as she stomped on the panel, which only cast out a few sparks of magic in response, "Is this another trick?!"

"Nope, warp congestion," Insider replied as they stepped off the panel and sighed.

Everybody else groaned and mumbled as they all stepped off and crowded around the panel.

"Now, everyone, get in a straight line…"

§

A kind of morbid air lingered through the town as the second team trekked through its dusty, lifeless streets. Then again, it wasn't hard to feel sad just looking around the place… It was so sad and lonely. The stone was worn and its colors faded into sad-looking dullness, the only inhabitants of the streets besides them were dust bunnies and the odd mouse, windows were filled with cobwebs, dying plants rested in cracked windowsill planters… Everywhere you looked, there was just another sad, lonely sign of how lively this place used to be.

A couple of the cyclopes sighed as they fixed their eyes on their feet, clearly unwilling to be enveloped in the sights.

"This place seems really sad," Wrecking Ball remarked as he waddled up and looked around.

"No duh," scoffed a kid in the group as they tugged on their sleeve, "Everything here used to be so happy and fun, but now…"—they sniffed and looked at their feet—"Nobody even wants to leave their house."

"Y'know," whispered another child not much older than the first as they pointed to a tall stone house made of broken cobblestone, "Before mom and dad got forced into the army, I think that used to be our house. Dad would play the lithophone every night, and mom would sing the most beautiful songs…"

The second child sniffled as they pushed themself into the arms of the first, just barely able to hold back their tears. Their sorrow was far too big for their two bodies to hold, however, and soon they both cried into each others' shoulders.

"Eyeair, Eyedelle," whispered an elder member of the team as they drew Eyeair and Eyedelle into a gentle hug.

Wrecking Ball tilted his head and frowned as he looked back at the three of them, then turned back around and bounced up and down.

"You know what?" Wrecking Ball said, "All this sadness makes me hungry!"

"WRECKING BALL!" Prism Break scolded as he thwacked Wrecking Ball on the head with a crystal hand, "Can't you think about anything other than food?!"

Wrecking Ball whimpered as he rolled on his back, then jumped back up to his feet and stuck his tongue out at Prism Break.

"Don't you stick your tongue out at me, you—" Prism Break stopped as Wrecking Ball rolled off and out of sight and sighed.

"Stupid meanie Prism Break!" Wrecking Ball grumbled as he rolled further and further away from the ground, "He didn't have to hit me on the head like that!"

Wrecking Ball pouted as he finally came to a stop, then sighed as he flopped on his belly and felt it rumble. With a soft whimper he rubbed his aching belly, then sniffed the air and jumped right up!

"Mmm, something smells sweet!" Wrecking Ball sniffed and sniffed some more as his legs moved by himself, "Like strawberries!"

Wrecking Ball's mouth filled with drool, then with a cheer he curled into a ball and rolled straight to the scent's source! The further he rolled, the more and more intense the smell got, until finally…

"FRESH RHUBARB PIE!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he stopped short and popped out of his curl, "I'M LUCKY!"

Sure enough, right in front of Wrecking Ball on a simple stone plate was a slice of freshly-baked rhubarb pie. Its golden brown crust looked so crisply and flaky and warm, the strawberry jam and rhubarbs that made up its filling oozed with such flavor that it could make anyone's stomach rumble, and it was just so, so, tempting…

Wrecking Ball's mouth watered at the mere sight, then with an excited cheer he leaped forward and gobbled down the slice of pie in a fit of hunger! With a content burp he licked the strawberry jam off of his face… Then his eyes widened so big they practically took up half of his face!

There, right before him was a whole trail of delicious, sugary sweets! Bowls filled with all sorts of candy, plates of cupcakes, ice cream sundaes…

Wrecking Ball's mouth watered from the sheer sight! Then, with a hoot of excitement he rolled forwards and devoured the trail as he went down…

§

But while Wrecking Ball was doing this, Prism Break and the others had more important matters to attend to. He and the other members of his group had trailed through the town's empty roads, weapons trained in case of opposition, all in pursuit of the way to the second seeing tower!

"Y'know, it seems almost too quiet…" Remarked a cyclops that walked beside Prism Break with a stone hammer in hand, "There's no guards, no traps… Nothing. It feels kind of wrong, almost."

Prism Break cast the cyclops an aside glance and nodded. Truth be told, he did agree with them—this whole time they trailed down the way, nothing of serious danger had happened! It was almost like something big and menacing was right around the corner and ready to strike!

So with a grunt, Prism Break held a hand close and watched as it glowed with a bright light. At least he could be prepared. Just then, a rustling noise broke Prism Break out of his thoughts!

With a shout he swerved around and shot a laser to the heavens above, all in anticipation of some kind of military force or giant monster to fall down… But instead, a singed feather floated down from the skies.

Sure enough, a bird tweeted out in surprise as it flew further away in the sky!

"I really need to get out of here," Prism Break mumbled as he shook his stony head, "This place is doing weird things to my noggin,"—Prism Break turned back and looked at the cyclopes who joined him, all of whom stared at him with slight concern—"Does anybody here have a map?"

Mumbles and whispers bounced all across the group, then finally one cyclops woman stepped out of the group and pulled out a paper scroll.

"I have one…" She said as they unfurled the scroll to reveal the faded markings on its paper, "But it's only barely legible. Hopefully it can make do…"

"Here, let me see it!" The cyclops Prism Break was conversing with earlier spoke as they looked over the map and rubbed their chin, "Let's see, if that's that, and this is this…"

A few more cyclopes gathered around the map and tried to decipher its meaning, but Prism Break only heaved a sigh and turned away. Map-reading was never his strength, quite frankly, and he didn't really think he'd pick it up now. Besides, he had another matter on his mind.

_Just what in Skylands is Wrecking Ball doing?… _Prism Break thought as he gazed over the pathway, _Shouldn't he be done with his little tantrum by now?_

As Prism Break gritted his stalactites for fangs, his eyes zeroed in on the path he was sure Wrecking Ball had taken… Then a scream pulled him and everybody else out of their thoughts!

"Did you hear that?" Exclaimed the cyclops woman who held up the map.

"What do you think it was?" Asked another cyclops.

"Eyerene, if it's one of your pranks again…"

"It wasn't me this time, I swear!"

"Then what could it possibly be?!"

"I don't know," Prism Break interrupted as he turned back to the group and pointed down a split pathway, "But the sound came from there!"

The cyclopes put the map to the side as they ran down the path.

Prism Break watched them slightly and frowned. After all, he was pretty sure that following screaming noises down suspicious-looking paths wasn't entirely the best idea. But, he was assigned to help them, so unfortunately for him he had to follow through.

With a begrudging sigh, Prism Break tailed the group down the way, his eyes cast on the odd shadows and crevices all the way he saw. Something about this place felt foreboding and dangerous, like something was going to jump out at him right any second! However, nothing did any such actions as he finally rejoined the group, which was now crowded around something and whispering ominously.

"What's all this hubbub about?" Prism Break asked as he joined them, only to be met with concerned glances.

A few of them pointed to what seemed like a red splotch on the path—could it be?…

A cyclops dressed in blacks rags that brought to mind a secret agent knelt down on the ground, then swiped a finger through the red spot and sniffed it.

"Calm down, everyone, this isn't blood!" They proclaimed, "It's just strawberry filling! Like the kind you'd use in a pie!"

A few sighs of relief were heard from the crowd as some held their hands over their hearts, but Prism Break wasn't entirely as relieved. Something about this place didn't feel right… Who would be eating pie in the middle of a dark alleyway, anyways?

"For that matter, there's all sorts of foodstuff here!" Remarked the spyclops as they walked further down the pathway, "Crumbs… Whipped cream… Fruit…"

Everybody else trailed behind the spyclops with a kind of piqued curiosity, but Prism Break was only filled with worry. All that food couldn't have manifested out of thin air, it had to have been placed by someone… And didn't Wrecking Ball say he was hungry before he ran off?

_I have a bad feeling about this… _Prism Break thought as he focused his feet on the ground, then caught his rocky toe on a stray pebble and stumbled forward!

Unable to catch his balance in time, Prism Break fell like a stone onto the cyclops in front of him, which in turn caused a domino effect of everybody else in front falling down!

But it didn't stop there, no—they hadn't just fallen, just rolled down the slippery stone slope with a cacophony of screams!

Prism Break had wanted to tell everyone to shut up, quite frankly—he was not fond of loud noises and all—but between getting poked with every other person's elbow and jabbed in places he'd rather not mention, he couldn't get a word in!

Finally, the group crash-landed into a wide plaza, and for once Prism Break was glad he hit his head on something. At least he didn't have to listen to everyone's screaming anymore. With a groan he staggered up to his feet, then was immediately faced with a chorus of stone axes.

"Halt, intruders!" Cried a bulky cyclops in black stone armor, "You are in direct violation of the king's commands, and his majesty had demanded your surrender!"

Prism Break grunted and got ready to fight, his crystals lit a fluorescent green, and everywhere else his teammates were just as prepared while they drew their weapons and fists.

"What makes you think we'll go down without a fight?!" Demanded one cyclops from the group.

"Would this be of any inclination to you?" Said a dastardly voice as something stepped onto a stone balcony above them.

That something was a muscular cyclops dressed in armor decorated with fancy jewels—likely an indication of status, though that was hardly a matter of concern for Prism Break at the moment.

Rather, Prism Break was more concerned about what that cyclops had in his grasp, which was none other than a miserable-looking Wrecking Ball who was trapped in a solid stone cast!

"WRECKING BALL!" Prism Break exclaimed as he instinctively dropped his charged crystals.

The commander only cackled as he held up Wrecking Ball for all parties alike to see.

"It was all too easy to trick this little one into coming," he proclaimed as he bounced Wrecking Ball up and down like a cheap bouncy ball, "All it took was a little trail of baked goods…"

Wrecking Ball yowled in pain, then whimpered and turned his head away.

"And surely, you'll come just as easily!" The commander pointed a beefy finger at the crowds, "Guards, attack!"

And the guards did just that! They cried out as they traded blows with the rebels, whether they were exchanging punches, magic blasts or good old weaponry, but the battle was intense! However, those rebels were scrappy, Prism Break would give them that. Every time they were attacked, they'd pull themselves back up and fight right back!

But, Prism Break wasn't too concerned with fighting right now. He had to get Wrecking Ball out of there!

With a grunt, Prism Break threw his crystalline hands in front of his body, then watched as a gigantic laser tossed the soldiers collected in front of him aside. As they reeled back from the heat and the nasty burns they had gained, Prism Break ran as fast as he could, only a moment of pause taken to look up at Wrecking Ball.

The frown on Wrecking Ball's face stood present as ever, but it only grew deeper as the cyclops commander looked down at Wrecking Ball and cackled.

"Look what you got your buddies into, ya little worm!" The commander sneered from up above as he glared down at Wrecking Ball, "Because you couldn't control your appetite, they all fell into my trap!"

Wrecking Ball whimpered as he heard the commander's words, then struggled to squirm out of his stone cast—but his efforts were completely fruitless. The stone was far too strong to be broken from!

And the whole scene made the stones in Prism Break's body heat like volcanic rock. His eyes first cast aside to the cyclops guards he had attacked prior.

They were still reeling from the earlier attack, but a few of them had stumbled up and seemed like they were starting to recover. Clearly, he had to act fast!

Prism Break shot off a round of lasers at the recovering guards, then watched as they fell on their backs. As he watched them fall, his eyes glazed over his hands while they resounded with smoke and light… Wait, that was it! Prism Break smirked and clapped his hands, then watched as a gigantic crystal popped out of the ground from nowhere at all! His hands still fixed fast together, Prism Break rubbed them together and watched as sparks of heat formed in their surfaces.

_Hopefully this'll get him out… _Prism Break thought as he cast a glance at Wrecking Ball then looked down at the crystal, _Now ready, aim…_

"FIRE!" Prism Break shouted as a gigantic laser beam zoomed out from his hands and into the crystal!

From there, the beam became multiple as it shot out from the many different sides of the crystal and hit everything it could've—walls, barrels, the eye of unsuspecting enemies…

Prism Break then looked up and beamed—because from there, one beam had dug into Wrecking Ball's prison of stone and had slowly started to melt it! Yes, it was working!

But just then, that same beam shot backwards at him! With a shout of pain Prism Break watched as it dug right into his shoulder and made it so hot that it felt like he was in the core of the island, then stumbled back and held his shoulder. Well, tried too, anyways, what was his lack of fingers and all.

"Thought you could pull a fast one on me, huh?" The commander asked as he rubbed a fist against his chest, a fist that bore a shiny stone mirror, "I wasn't born yesterday, you walking pile of rubble! If I couldn't have guessed that, I wouldn't be a general!"

Huh, he was a general, not a commander. Figures. Prism Break didn't have enough time right now to care about that, however—the pain in his body engulfed him completely and made him fall to his knees.

"Prism Break!" Called a few of the rebels as they raced to his side, "Are you alright?"

Prism Break's head spun with so much heat that he could barely form the words to reply, and even if he could he didn't have the time!

The guards he had once blinded with his light had recovered and now had them all surrounded!

"GUARDS, TAKE THEM TO THE DUNGEONS!" The general proclaimed from above.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHS Chapter twelve is here! Not too much to say, other than a warning for an implied beheading in this chapter. You know the drill—if that kind of stuff is uncomfortable for you, feel free to sit this one out or DM me for a summary!**

**Watch Seeker: Okay honestly, I am extremely honored to hear that! Skylanders as a series is very near and dear to my heart, and being able to remind others of their love for it really makes me happy! So thank you!**

* * *

_WHOOSH!_

"Yep, that should be the last one," Insider said as they watched another pair of cyclopes jump off from the warp panel and face the area before them.

The warp panel had lead their group to a gigantic stone courtyard with a fancy golden gate the sole obstacle to their passage ahead. Well, that… And all the crystals that emitted bright laser beams scattered here and there and everywhere.

"Now, how are we supposed to get past there?" Spyro asked as he flew up and examined the area before them. His golden eyes fixed on the gate, Spyro flew ahead then cast an aside gaze over towards the gate's sides.

"A-HA!" Spyro flew back to the group's side and snapped a claw, "It's a light puzzle this time!"—Spyro turned back around and gazed over at the crystals strayed about the floor—"We just have to make those lasers align with the crystals next to the gate!"

"What crystals?" Insider peered back at Spyro, then watched as Spyro snapped his claws and created a telescope out of magic.

"Take a look!" Spyro offered the magical telescope to Insider, then watched as they warily took up Spyro's offer and peered through the telescope.

After a short peek taken, Insider handed the telescope back to Spyro and made a steely nod as the telescope vanished into thin air.

"He's right!"

"This should be easy enough!" Chihiro interrupted as she leaped out of the crowd and stretched to the heavens, "Just gotta do some heavy lifting!"

Ever eager to proceed, Chihiro skipped over to a nearby crystal and shoved its back end… But it didn't move an inch!

"Alright," Chihiro heaved as she leaned against the crystal and panted, "Probably just a bit stuck…"—Chihiro spun back around to the back and got into an offensive position—"Maybe a little kick'll give it a good start! HI-YAH!"

Chihiro's face scrunched up as she side-kicked the device, all breaths around bated…

"OWCH!" Chihiro exclaimed as she reeled back and fell on her rump, "Who made these crystals so hard, anyways?"

As Chihiro rubbed her leg, Spyro frowned and flew to her side. There was a sting of pained tears in her chestnut eyes as she bit her lip, but the moment she noticed Spyro was by her side she shook her head and forced a smile.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt that much," Chihiro winked at Spyro, "I'll be fine!"—Chihiro then pointed over to the other side of the area—"I think they could use some help, though."

Spyro looked away to where the cyclopes were busy pushing, pulling, adjusting, even punching and kicking the crystals as well! But no matter what they did, the crystals stood firm where they were placed, their lack of inclination to budge quite apparent at this point.

Spyro frowned as he flew over to one, then placed a paw on its smooth, warm surface.

"Let me try," Spyro said as he gazed down the cyclopes who were unsuccessfully trying to push it.

His eyes flashed a raw violet in color, Spyro looked down at the crystal, then at his paw as it flared with purple magic. He then placed a second magic-covered paw on the crystal and watched as it was enveloped in purple light, a stroke of hope ignited in his chest… Then both his hope and the light fizzled out. As Spyro let go of the crystal and flew to the skies once more, he frowned deeper and placed a claw on his chin. They were immune to magic, physical force… What could possibly move these things?…

Before Spyro could think more, he heard a strange creaking sound, then looked down and beamed! The crystal had started to budge at last! As it slowly turned, Spyro looked to an overhead alley and caught the eyes of a cyclops who stood next to a pulled lever, who then gave him a thumbs up! Spyro smiled and returned that thumbs up… Right before something singed the fin of his tail!

"YEOWCH!" Spyro exclaimed as he pulled up his tail and rubbed his singed fin, "What was that?!"

Spyro cast and glance downwards and found his answer! The crystals that were once stagnant were now hyperactive as they spun in excited circles, their lasers swerved about with them as they cast scorch marks and burns into everything around!

"TAKE COVER!" Eyeantha shouted as she and several others ducked down and dodged a bright laser that narrowly missed them.

While the others scrambled for safety like chickens pursued by a fox, Spyro flew into action! His movements careful so as to dodge the lasers, Spyro cast a shield at the area where they began and watched as it stood tall against a rampant laser. Its strength assured in his mind, Spyro flew around, yanked the cyclopes off the floor and tossed them over the other side of the shield!  
Once everybody was safely over, Spyro flew back to the shield, then cast a glance to the left.

In the midst of all the chaos, Chihiro stood tall and thrust hands aglow in aqua, her whole body radiant with pure magic! What was she thinking!?

"Chihiro!" Spyro exclaimed as he swooped down to her side, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm gonna try and see if I can stop these things!" Chihiro shouted back as her hands flared with bright magic, only a moment of pause taken to dodge a laser that was a hair's breadth away, "You keep everyone safe!"

"Chihiro, there's way too many of them!" Spyro shot back as he drew closer to her, "Let me do it!"

"That barrier's not gonna hold for long, Spyro." Chihiro nodded back towards the barrier then fixed her eyes on the crystals once more, "You need to keep it running! Besides, handling this and that at the same time is too much for one person!"

Spyro winced as he looked back at the barrier and found that Chihiro was somewhat right. Though it stood as firm as it could against the lasers, cracks and heat depressions had already begun to form in its surface… But, it could surely last long enough for him to handle it!

"Chihiro," Spyro looked at Chihiro with all the concern he could muster, "At least let me help you! It's like you said—that's way too much for one person to handle by themself!"

Chihiro frowned as she looked over the crystals, clearly deep in contemplation, then cast a short nod as she thrust her arms forward!

"I guess you're right." Chihiro made a weak smile as her whole body flared with a cyan-colored glow, "You take care of the barrier, I'll try and see if I can hold these down for now!"

Spyro gave her a hesitant look once more, still not entirely certain if he should stay or go, then felt a soft light on his face and turned back to the crystals.

Sure enough, Chihiro had managed to stop them! They were all lit in cyan coloring and now stood stagnant, their lasers frozen in place in accordance.

Spyro seemed a bit reassured to see them freeze, but something felt wrong. He couldn't even get _one _to budge with his own magic, so how could she hold down so many?

Spyro felt unease waver in his heart as he flapped his wings then turned to attend to the barrier, though he could've sworn he saw one crystal twitch out of the way from the corner of his eye… With a tremble in his heart still, Spyro placed a paw of the barrier then healed it of its injuries. As the barrier glowed with the strength of a thousand, Spyro heaved a sigh of relief, turned back to Chihiro and gasped.

Chihiro trembled and strained, sweat watered on her brow as she struggled to keep the crystals stagnant. She could really use some backup!

Spyro flew over to her…

But before he did, one of the crystals broke free of her grasp and zipped around! In one swift movement, the crystal's laser shot into Chihiro and caused her to fall back in pain, which in turn loosened her grip on the other crystals and freed then as well!

As they swerved around once more, Spyro dropped to the floor and scuttled over to Chihiro, who laid on her back and whimpered as she held her shoulder in pain.

"Chihiro!" Spyro called as he finally reached her and placed himself in front of her body.

With a growl, Spyro darted up to the skies and threw out both front paws, then watched as a gigantic magic blast rocketed away from his paws and painted the entire area in shades of monochrome.

Everything around Spyro had come to a stop—animals, teammates, and most importantly… The crystals as well! The only thing left animated was Spyro himself, who threw himself into motion and swooped back down to the crystals.

Spyro examined the crystals with a frown. Then, he snapped his claws and watched as the crystal was enveloped with a purple glow!

The once-static crystal turned far away from him and towards another crystal… Then as its laser shot that crystal, the glow spread to it is as well! Soon Spyro's magic spell had jumped from that crystal to the next one and the one that followed, until each and every crystal was under his spell!

Under his commands, the crystals had finally found some sense of order. They were now positioned in a careful, attentive way that locked only into either each other or the crystals that stood firm beside the gate. And good thing too, because the monochrome palette of the world around slowly started to flicker back into color!

As the color finally returned to the land, the gate slowly rumbled open—but that wasn't too important to him right now. Instead, Spyro rushed back over to Chihiro's side and held his paw on her uninjured shoulder, his gaze now cast towards the other.

"Hey, Spyro, what happened?" Chihiro asked as she looked to her side, "Those crystals! They're not moving anymore!"

Chihiro yanked herself out of Spyro's grasp and went to examine further… Only to fall to her knees and wince in pain as she held her injured shoulder!

"We can talk about that later!" Spyro proclaimed as he rejoined Chihiro and turned her to face him, "How bad it is?"

Chihiro bit her lip and just barely held back her tears, then warily removed her hand from her shoulder to find—oh great Ancient Elements, it really _was _bad!

The burn itself had to have been a second-degree at least! The laser had scorched right through the shoulder of both her vest and sweater, with black singe marks grazed around what little fabric remained. The skin underneath didn't match the peachy tone of Chihiro's body, but rather a nasty reddish color that glowered with heat. And judging by the way Chihiro was just barely restraining herself from crying, it wasn't just for show, either. It was causing her a lot of pain!

"Where's Eyeantha?" Spyro demanded as he whipped around and glanced at the cyclopes, "We've got a really nasty burn here!"

"Here!" Cried out Eyeantha as she shifted through the crowd and raced down to Chihiro's side.

With a frown she pulled some kind of first-aid satchel out of nowhere, then knelt down and examine Chihiro's burn.

"You weren't kidding!" Eyeantha's eye widened as she glazed over Chihiro's burn, "That really is nasty…"—Eyeantha's surprised look faded away to confidence as she rummaged through her satchel—"But I've got just the thing for those!"

In moments, Eyeantha whipped out some kind of bandage roll, one that shimmered with sparkling purple and green lights.

"Now, stand still, alright?" Eyeantha drew closer to Chihiro and carefully unraveled the bandage roll, "This should only take a few minutes."

In a few careful minutes that seemed like an eternity, Eyeantha wrapped the bandage roll around Chihiro's shoulder. Once she finished wrapping it around, she paused and drew an ointment jar from her bag.

"Normally this would take about an hour." Eyeantha unscrewed the jar, then dipped her gloved hands into the ointment and rubbed it over the bandages, "But with this ointment, it'll be good as new in seconds?"

"Really?" Chihiro whimpered as she made a teary-eyed gaze back at Eyeantha.

Eyeantha only nodded as she withdrew from Chihiro's side, then pulled off her gloves and held a hand on Chihiro's.

"One, two, three…" Eyeantha started as she gave Chihiro a kind gaze.

"Four, five, six…" Chihiro continued as she wiped her tears away.

"Seven, eight, nine, ten!" They finished in unison before Eyeantha unraveled the bandages.

Chihiro then looked down at her shoulder and gasped in pure glee, as did Spyro—because the burn had completely healed! All that was left with a faded, pinkish spot where it once resided!

"Thanks a lot!" Chihiro beamed and giggled as she hugged Eyeantha tight, her pain clearly vanquished with the burn.

"It's what I do, honey." Eyeantha smiled and patted Chihiro on the back, then withdrew from her side and went back to tend to the others.

As she left, however, Spyro's smile faded as he watched Chihiro. The burn may have easily disappeared, true, but Chihiro was still injured really badly, under his watch no less! How could he have let that happen?

"What's up, Golden Boy?" Chihiro asked as she looked back at Spyro.

Spyro sputtered out a few noises, then shook his head and drew closer to Chihiro, just in case. His heart had practically stopped when he had seen her reel back from that laser shot, after all! He couldn't let her get seriously injured like that again.

"You don't need to worry about my burns, it doesn't hurt anymore!" Chihiro tilted her head, then gently rubbed his crest, "Somethin' else bugging you?"

Spyro frowned and shook his head in some quaint attempt to expel his fears.

"I'm fine," Spyro lied as he flew forward, "I think they're getting ready to move on."

Spyro was right in that regard. Everybody else had thankfully lacked injuries, so it was time for them to move on to the next path.

But still, that only reminded him of how he neglected his duties yet again… Yet, as much as he wanted to berate himself, he couldn't do that, not in front of Chihiro. She could clearly pick up on how upset he was… Spyro shook his head and trained his gaze on the gate ahead. No, he couldn't worry that much about her right now, there was still a mission to attend to and all that.

But, he couldn't stop himself from sneaking a quick glance back at Chihiro, who spun around and sung some song from Earth he didn't quite know the name of as she walked behind him. It was strange, almost. One minute she was so scared and hurt, even though she had done her best to hide it, but now it was like it never even happened in her mind! It almost kind of threw him off his train of thought.

"Spyro, why're you looking at me so funny?" Chihiro questioned as she skipped up to Spyro's side, "Do I have something in my teeth or somethin'?"

Spyro jolted back and shook his head.

"No, no, you're fine!" Spyro denied before he subconsciously took her hand, "Come on, we're getting close to the next switch, I can feel it!"

"Alrighty!" Chihiro walked beside Spyro as she squeezed his paw tight, "Is it a kind of purple dragon thing, like how your eyes change color and stuff?"

"More like a gut instinct." Spyro made an awkward shake of the head, then heard a scuffle and jolted up, "Chihiro, watch out!"

With a growl he readied his flames and looked around… But only saw a mouse as it scurried along the floor. Spyro sighed as he watched it run out of view, then looked over at Chihiro, who looked over at him with an equally-concerned look.

"… Are you sure you're not bugged out about something, Spyro?" Chihiro made a concerned frown as she laid a hand on his shoulder, "You've been acting really weird."

"I told you, I'm fine." Spyro diverted his gaze away from Chihiro's exposed shoulder with a wince, then flew further down the path, "Let's just go."

Well, that was a big lie. There was something bugging Spyro, but he couldn't tell just what. Some kind of strange feeling bubbled up in his chest as he saw Chihiro, but he wasn't sure what it entirely was. Concern after seeing her hurt? Fear that she'd be injured even worse? Anger at her for constantly prying at things she shouldn't have to worry herself with? Well, no use brooding on it. Spyro could save that for when he finished taking care of this mission.

As Spyro flew down the pathways, the stone underneath them had turned from carefully-crafted pathways to raw, untouched minerals.

Sure enough, they had left society and found themselves in a rocky cavern covered in stalactites, rocky walls, and even more rock everywhere one could look. The only noise was the sound of footsteps and flapping wings, which only added to its oddly fascinating atmosphere.

Spyro paused and flew in place for a moment as he admired the strange beauty of the cavern, but he had no time to sit around and smell the rocky roses. He had to rejoin the rest of the group, who had surely gotten far ahead of him at this point. Yet, something kept him frozen in place, he couldn't tell why…

"Are you worried about Kaos again?" Asked a voice from behind him.

Spyro's might've been a bit concerned, but he could definitely tell who that voice belonged to. Sure enough, Spyro turned around and Chihiro was behind him once more, her eyes as worried as ever.

"I appreciate your concern, Chihiro, but it's not that." Spyro shook his head and faked a look of sincerity, "I can take care of myself, Chihiro. You should worry more about the mission."

Spyro then flew off, while Chihiro strolled close beside him, her arms behind her back.

"I guess I can't force you to talk about it if you don't wanna," Chihiro admitted as she made a nod, "But—"

Before Chihiro finished, loud chatter echoed around from up ahead, chatter painted in the sounds of excited, familiar voices!

"Hey, what's that?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head, "Sounds like…"

"The rest of our team!" Spyro finished as he flew ahead!

"Hey, Spyro, wait!" Chihiro panted and ran after Spyro, "Not all of us can fly, you know!"

Chihiro's footsteps were background noise in Spyro's mind as he flew down the cavern's halls, his mind fixed on the mission before him. That is, until he heard a familiar giggle and watched Chihiro run past him!

"WOAH, SPYRO!" Chihiro called as she ran out of his view, "Look over here!

Spyro lifted his head, then flew closer to the source of Chihiro's voice. When he finally found her, his eyes sparkled in pure awe!

Lodged into the stone of the cavern's paths were tons of round, colorful jewels! They were all so pretty and came in such a bright rainbow of colors and shades and hues… Just being around them felt like home, almost!

Spyro landed, then padded over to a round, violet-colored crystal and peered at its shiny surface. As he watched his warped reflection, he couldn't help but grin.

"None of these would happen to be the Crystal Eye, would they?" Chihiro asked as she nudged herself next to Spyro and stared down their reflections.

"I'm afraid not," Spyro replied as he looked up at Chihiro and shook his head, his tone more whimsical than anything.

"Darn." Chihiro huffed and crossed her arms, "More traveling for us, then!"

As they walked further down the pathway, the sounds around grew louder and louder… But this time, those sounds were the background noise in Spyro's mind.

Rather, he was more fixated on Chihiro, who examined all the crystals with some kind of wonder! It seemed like every five seconds she'd stop and gaze at her reflection, or rub the surface of one as she tried and failed to guess just what kind of gem it was. The way she took in their splendor… It was oddly fascinating, almost, to see her so cheerful and amazed.

Without even thinking, Spyro himself had even broken into a smile of his own! As he felt his face, he couldn't help but chuckle—something about the cheer she had radiated with infectious, it was like he had completely forgotten about the task at hand! He… He kinda liked that about her, almost, how her happiness was so intense that it infected everything around her like an airborne remedy.

He didn't quite understand it… But, he liked it.

"I FOUND IT!" Cried a voice from ahead that pulled Spyro out of his thoughts yet again!

With slight concern Spyro flew to the source of the shout, which was none other than the rest of the team!

"Found what?" Spyro asked as he flew past the ground and eyed the pathway ahead.

The path was once against blocked off, this time by a golden, jewel-encrusted gate with several depressions in its surface that were likely keyholes. But what were the keys?…

"This gate's probably opened by some of these crystals that're hanging around here," proclaimed a cyclops with several round crystals in their hands, "And I think I found our keys!"

With a confident hum the cyclops placed the crystals they held into the slots one by one, breath bated… Then watched as the crystals dropped out of the slots and rolled onto the stone floor. So much for that.

"Welp." The cyclops heaved a sigh as they placed their hands on their hips, "Guess it's back to the drawing board! Everybody, roll out! Find those crystals!"

Everybody cheered in understanding, then scurried across the way and gathered crystals all the while!

Even Spyro joined in as he flew up and plucked a couple round crystals from the ceiling, then dropped down and placed them in the slots… But once again, they just fell out. Spyro sighed, then stepped aside and watched as several other cyclopes lined up and placed the crystals they had retrieved into the slots as well to similar effects.

"Too big," said the crystal cyclops as they watched several large crystals struggle to fit into the slots.

"Too small." The crystal cyclops sighed as several small ones rolled out of the slots.

"Those aren't even the right shape!" The crystal cyclops slapped a hand against their face as someone tried and failed to fit some square-shaped crystals into the slots.

Spyro sighed and flew off, ready to search some more, then something tugged on his tail and caused him to look down.

"Hey, hey, Spyro!" Chihiro said as she tugged on his tail fin some more, "I found something neat! Come here!"

Without any further prompting, Chihiro dashed a few paces down the way and stopped short, all while Spyro's tail was clasped firm in her hands. With a smile she bounced up and down… Then looked up and saw a dizzy Spyro retrieve his tail from her.

"Sorry." Chihiro made a giggle as Spyro stared her down, then spun around and outstretched her arms, "Ta-dah!"

There, among a cluster of crystals was a long, skinny one with a form that almost reminded Spyro of a lever!

"I know what you're thinking! Kinda looks like a lever, right?" Chihiro beamed and pushed the crystal back, "Wait for it…"

The two of them waited for a few seconds, then with a low rumble the stone next to it withdrew and revealed some kind of path!

"A hidden passageway!" Spyro exclaimed.

"Yep!" Chihiro chirped as she leaned against Spyro and winked, "And I bet there's something really cool down there, so come on!"

With no further warnings, Chihiro grabbed Spyro's paw and slid down the path with a hoot! Spyro let out a shout of surprise as he slid on his belly… Then the two of them leaped forwards and landed in a pile on top of each other.

Spyro groaned and rubbed his head, then opened his eyes, but no words came out of his mouth.

The sights before him was far too beautiful to even speak of, almost! They had found themselves in what seemed like a room made of rainbows, but it was almost hard to tell. The translucent, crystalline walls reflected the colors of the crystal spires that formed in the ground, which came in all sorts of bright, eye-pleasing shades and tones. As the lights danced around the room despite the lack of sunlight, a kind of magic cascaded onto Spyro's heart. It felt so… Enchanting, like he had landed into an entirely different world!

"See?" Chihiro asked as she stepped around and leaned her head in front of Spyro's, "Told you there'd be something cool!"—Chihiro spun around and hummed as she watched her reflection in the crystal walls—"Heh, you know, it almost reminds me of a dancefloor!"

Huh, an odd comparison to make, but Spyro could kind of see it. With the bright lights, and the floors sparkled with diamond dust and glitter, it did kind of feel like the place to hold a dance party. Well, if it wasn't so small, anyways. The room felt like it only really fit about two people, maybe three of four if you squeezed in hard enough.

With a smile and a giggle, Chihiro leaped forward and spun around, though her movements felt a bit more… Coordinated, more planned than her usual excited spins and leaps. As she spun around, she'd occasionally clap her hands or wiggle her arms… Wait a minute, was she dancing?

"Come on, Spyro!" Chihiro paused and waved at Spyro, "It's not as fun with only one person doing it!"

"I think I'm good," Spyro sputtered as he shook a paw, "I've got four left paws."

"Oh, nonsense! It's not like anyone's watching but me!" Chihiro grabbed Spyro's paw and pulled him in, "Just follow my lead!"

Spyro let out a shout as he found himself drawn into this makeshift dancefloor, then watched as Chihiro went back to her strange dance. As she spun and clapped and bounced, he awkwardly copied her movements, though at a bit of a slower pace than Chihiro's.

In lieu of her cheery gallops, Spyro flew from side to side as he clapped to her beat… And slowly, a smile came upon his face as he found himself absorbed into the moment without even realizing. Spyro made a soft chuckle of his own, then swung over to Chihiro's side and clapped along with her, only to stop short as she turned around and smiled.

"This is fun, right?" Chihiro's smile was amplified by the cheerful lights of the crystals around.

For a moment Spyro felt time stop around him, but not in the way of a time spell, no. It felt like… For just a moment, he and Chihiro were the only two people in all of Skylands, and all that mattered was the carefree fun they had in this small room. It was a strange feeling, the kind he hadn't felt in quite a while… For just this little bit of time, he had forgotten all his worries and all he wanted to do was dance with her! Or, he could just watch in amazement as she gallivanted with all the cheer in the world.

Then Chihiro came spinning forward, and Spyro realized that he was right in the collision course!

"Spyro, look out!"

Chihiro called as she tried to stop herself, but it was no use! She had gathered far too much momentum to stop now, and Spyro was far too slow to fly away! So instead, they crashed forward! Spyro closed his eyes in full anticipation of a painful collision… Yet felt nothing of the sort.

First, he felt something soft and warm against his back… Had she caught him?

Spyro opened his eyes and found them fixed on Chihiro's chestnut-colored ones, which seemed warmer than usual thanks to the lighting of a nearby yellow crystal. But soon enough, that faded away too… All Spyro could see was Chihiro, as everything else had completely faded to white in his mind.

"You alright?" Chihiro asked with a few rapid blinks, her tone a bit softer than usual, "You almost had a nasty fall—WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!"

Before she could even finish, Chihiro lost her balance, hopped a few steps forwards, then both she and Spyro toppled over each other onto the floor! They both let out yelps of surprise, then dissolved into laughter as they got up and dusted themselves off.

Spyro looked at Chihiro, who now had the biggest smile on her face as she brushed diamond dust out of her hair, and he couldn't help but crack a grin himself.

"Y'know…" Chihiro leaned back and looked at Spyro, "It's really nice getting to see your smile…"—Chihiro made a soft giggle and brushed a flyaway strand of hair—"It's as golden as your eyes!"

Spyro's grin dropped to a gaping mouth as he stood awestruck before Chihiro. Her compliment was so sudden… He didn't quite know how to respond just yet.

"It's just… Good seeing you so happy." Chihiro leaned forward and scratched the back of her neck, "You always seem so worried, like you're got the weight of the world on your shoulders. Seeing you this happy is kinda like finding a rare treasure!"—Chihiro giggled and turned away—"It's… Really nice."

Spyro just closed his mouth, now completely unable to speak… But able to smile at least.

"… I don't know what to say,"Spyro said at last as he turned away from her view, "I guess it's just something about you."

Chihiro's eyes widened, and in response Spyro himself stumbled back as heat gathered in his cheeks. Had he really said that?!

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Chihiro chirped, then jumped up and examined the crystals around them and all the strange reflections they made of her…

But Spyro was more interested in seeing her, quite frankly.

He honestly didn't know why… He didn't feel this way around his enemies for certain, but he didn't feel it around his friends, either. It was an odd kind of feeling, the kind of feeling that made him want to tear down his walls and pour his heart out in some kind of big adrenaline rush!

It was weird, confusing, and almost kind of dangerous the way she made him feel. At first it made him want to keep his distance… But… He honestly kind of liked this strange, strange way Chihiro made him feel. It didn't make sense, he knew that much. By all accounts he should have avoided it, and yet part of him wanted to dive in and know more.

After all, he had dealt with personalities like hers before—bold and energetic and curious. None of that was new to him, but she carried those traits with some kind of flavor, like the secret ingredient to a delicious recipe that he couldn't quite pin down…

Was it how she embraced everyone and everything new to her with open arms? Her boundless enthusiasm for every task she was given? That stubborn determination that pushed her forward? Her tendency to crack a joke and a smile at everything? Spyro shook his head. No, none of those didn't feel right either. Guess it would be a mystery for a little bit longer.

"Spyro!" Chihiro called as she raced back up to Spyro's side, "Look at these cool crystals I found!"

An eager grin spread across her face, Chihiro held out a bunch of smooth, round crystals for him to see!

They can in a shiny rainbow of colors that their pristine surfaces reflected back onto the crystalline walls, and they had odd, eye-like markings engraved on their surface…

"Think these might be what we're looking for?" Chihiro asked, before she shook her head, "Actually, no, these are DEFINITELY what we're looking for! Come on!"

Before Spyro could even get a word in, Chihiro had already left his side and scrambled back up the ramp… Albeit to little avail. Every time she marched back up she'd only lose traction and slide back down on her back.

"Need some help there, Chihiro?" Spyro chuckled as he flew over to Chihiro's side.

"Looks like it!" Chihiro made a soft chuckle of her own as she sat up and nodded.

Spyro flew down and grabbed Chihiro's shoulders, then lifted her off the ground and dashed up the ramp!… Well, he would've, but she was pretty heavy, so it was more like a slow crawl than anything. With how long it took, Spyro felt his heart leap with joy when he finally caught sight of the entryway!

A newfound burst of speed born within him, Spyro dashed through the entrance and dropped Chihiro on the ground, then caught his breath for a few moments.

For Chihiro, however, those few moments were all she needed to race forward and rejoin the group!

"Guys, guys!" Chihiro shouted in the distance, "You won't believe what I found!"

As Spyro caught his last few breaths and felt his strength return at last, he himself flew back over and rejoined the group just in time!

Chihiro had handed off the strange spheres she had found to the crystal cyclops, who with a shrug had taken them in and slowly placed them inside the gates' slots! And Chihiro was right, it was a perfect fit!

The crystals rested snugly in the slots, though nothing seemed to have happened… Then a short rumble was heard as the gate slowly drew open, its path changed from rough, tampered caverns to the more organized cobblestone streets of earlier!

With a holler of glee Chihiro gave the cyclops a high-five, the smirked and placed her hands on her hips.

"See, told you those were the ones!" Chihiro proclaimed before she looked at Spyro and waved.

"Good thing, too!" Insider interrupted as they pushed through the crowd and pulled out a map, "According to this list, the final switch should be just up ahead!"

"Really?!" Exclaimed Chihiro, "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

With a loud cheer Chihiro dashed through the tunnels, the entire group behind her with Spyro included. The whole area pounded with excitement as the cavern's rocks gave way to fresh air and open towns, the rough rocks became cobblestone and grass, and most importantly… Within a grassy circle lied what had to be the final switch!

It stood tall and looming like any other, but unlike the others it brought relief. Finally, the last one!

"Spyro!" Chihiro called as she waved over to Spyro, "Let's take this one down together!"

Spyro nodded, then flew over to Chihiro's side and grabbed hold of her hand. As his eyes flashed purple, he squeezed the hand and let go… Then watched as Chihiro slowly floated upwards!

Chihiro giggled and beamed in wonder as she floated up to the eye portion of the switch, while Spyro flew up and joined her. The two of then shared a nod, crafted matching spheres of magic energy between them, then shot out their hands and watched the energy spheres fly straight into the center of the switch! The two of them fell down and watched as a bright explosion of indigo light engulfed the eye… Then the stone eye fell off of the switch and slammed into the earth with a CRASH!

The cyclopes cheered behind Spyro and Chihiro as they gave each other a smile, then watched as a warp panel manifested in front of the switch's base.

"I'll bet this warp panel'll take us to the Seeing Tower," Insider said as they stepped between Spyro and Chihiro, "Now, come along, get in a straight line.

Everybody else followed Insider's orders and organized themselves, but for some reason Spyro couldn't turn his gaze away from Chihiro just yet. Part of him just wanted to enjoy this small moment with her just a tiny bit more, to just stand there and basked in their shared accomplishment and joy, to see her warm, encouraging smile…

_Chihiro, tell me, _Spyro thought as he watched Chihiro talk with the cyclopes and spin around, _What is it that makes you so special?_

§

With a loud crash, Prism Break and his teammates found themselves tossed into a pile in a cramped, worn stone jail cell.

"NOW STAY IN THERE TILL THE EXECUTION STARTS!" Exclaimed a guard with gruff looks and sound as they slammed the cell's door shut with a BANG!

The guards riffed and laughed among themselves as they wandered away from the cell, but Prism Break could hardly find any humor in their words. He could hardly be blamed, given his current situation.

As the guards left his sights, Prism Break held his hands forward and shot a laser beam at the stone bars of the door… But all they did was absorb the heat and glow with a red light, their surfaces now so hot that it exuded heat all across the room.

"Prism Break, knock that off!" Cried a cyclops from the back, "It's stuffy enough in here as is!"

"Do you want to get out of here or not?" Prism Break snapped back as he shot a glare back at the cyclopes, "If I can melt these beams—"

"Don't try it." The cyclops stepped up and pushed Prism Break away, "These bars are made with a special kind of stone that's completely resistant to heat, ice, water, wind, magic… Anything you can think of!"

Prism Break looked over the bars with a frown.

The bars didn't seem to loosen or melt any faster than before, all they did was glow in that same taunting, red glow that made Prism Break's stones rumble. Seemed as though that guy was right.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Prism Break shot the cyclops a glare.

As the red light faded, the cyclops glazed over the bars, then pulled out a stone hammer.

"If I can find a weak point in these bars." The cyclops drew a clawed finger over the prison bars' smooth surface, "Then one little smack with this baby—"—the cyclops waved their stone hammer—"will send it completely topping down!"

The cyclops's eye widened as they glazed over what appeared to be a tiny crack in the bars.

"And I think I found my first target!" The cyclops swung their arms back, "HEAVE HO!"

With a powerful swing the cyclops slammed their hammer against the crack in the bars… But it only made them shake with the force of an earthquake and fall onto their butt! The cyclops groaned and stood back up, then readied their hammer once more.

"Okay, I might've been a little off, but that's alright!" The cyclops swung once more, "LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN!"

The cyclops slammed their hammer into the door once again… But only shuddered and jittered into a fall once more!

"MAYBE THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM!"

Third time was in fact, _not _the charm despite the popular saying. The cyclops only repeated the events of the prior two tries, this time with a little extra shuddering than before.

"AGAIN!"

Nope—still no shattering of any kind on the bars' side.

"AGAIN!"

Nada.

"AGAIN!"

Zilt.

"AGAIN!"

Zich.

No matter how many times that poor cyclops tried, they couldn't even land a single dent into those stone bars! They were far too strong and sturdy for the cyclops' dingy little hammer to break!

"Alright then," the cyclops panted as they stood once more and retrieved their hammer, which now bore several large cracks in a fit of irony, from the floor, "Let's try again!"

Before they could finish their swing, however, another cyclops ran to their side and held back their arms.

"Eyevan, it's not going to work! You've already tried fifteen times!" The other cyclops protested.

"Eyerene!" Eyevan groaned as they glared back at her, "I just need to try again! I'm sure!"

As Eyevan argued with Eyerene, their stone hammer trembled then completely shattered! The little bits of gravel that were once a hammer fell into a pile at Eyevan's feet, while Eyevan themself only looked down and heaved a groan.

"Guess I'm not smashing it anymore."

As Eyevan heaved a sigh and brushed the dust off of their trousers, everybody else followed in accordance. They all seemed so worn and tired as they sat in the jail cell, completely demotivated to do anything other than sulk and await their execution.

Well, all but one.

Prism Break frowned as he heard something that sounded like weak, childlike sniffling. He turned his head a hare and saw that Wrecking Ball was curled up in a damp corner of the cell with shudders abound.

"Wrecking Ball?" Prism Break called as he walked over to where Wrecking Ball huddled, "What are you doing?"

"I don't like it here…" Wrecking Ball whimpered with a sniff, "It's too small, and cold, and dark… And I got everyone trapped and we're all gonna be stuck here forever!"

Wrecking Ball burst into a waterfall of sobs, while Prism Break awkwardly stepped back. He wasn't exactly good with emotions… But it did make him feel a bit bad to see Wrecking Ball like this, and besides, all that crying was bound to attract guards. He had to get Wrecking Ball to calm down!

"Now, I know things seem bad, but it's not hopeless," Prism Break soothed with a kind of awkward trill in his voice, "I mean, we are stuck in a cold, cramped dungeon with no hopes of escaping and are going to be executed at any minute, and nothing we've done has worked insofar."

As Prism Break spoke, however, he himself grew downtrodden as he crossed his arms and frowned.

"Actually, wait, everything does seem pretty hopeless right now."

Prism Break scowled for only a few seconds more, then jumped back as Wrecking Ball burst in a cacophony of wailing! So much for making him feel better…

Wrecking Ball's sobs echoed around the cell as everybody grumbled and covered their ears in accordance…

"It really is hopeless…"

"Guess this is how it all ends."

"We should just give up right now."

Even Prism Break felt a pit open in his cold, rocky heart as he watched the rest of the team sniffle and hug each other…

Save for Eyevan, who only stomped their foot in determination.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE AT ALL!" Eyevan shouted as they turned and looked towards the crowd, "What we've tried so far didn't work, true, but surely there's other methods, right?! We could pick the lock—"

"But our lockpickers went with the first team," replied a cyclops from the crowd.

"Well." Eyevan looked a bit taken aback, but quickly shook it off with a shake of their head, "Maybe we could charge into the gate all at once and ram it down! On three,"—Eyevan leaned forward and prepared for a charge—"One, two—"

"Eyevan, just face it." Eyerene said as she placed a hand on his shoulders, "There's no way we'll make it outta here. This whole place is too tough for even a Skylander to break out of! What chance do we have?"

Eyevan frowned, then hummed as they peered through the bars of the cell.

"Wait a second…" Eyevan whipped around and beamed, "Everyone, I found our way out!"

"Already!?" Eyerene and Prism Break said in unison.

Eyevan hummed and made a nod as Prism Break and Eyerene joined them, then pointed a grubby finger of theirs through the bars.

"See that?" Eyevan asked as they cast a gaze towards Eyerene and then Prism Break, "That's our ticket out!"

Prism Break promptly followed the finger's path and found that Eyevan was pointing towards a bulky, sleeping guard who had something shiny hung from their belt… A keyring, surely! Yet, the guard was quite a ways off… How were they supposed to get those keys?

"If we can get something that could reach that far and get those keys, then we're home free!" Eyevan turned around and cleared their throat, "SO, does anybody here happen to conveniently own a ten-foot-long pole… Or something?"

Confused murmurs and whispers were heard as the crowd chattered among themselves, then turned back to Eyevan and shook their heads.

"Doesn't have to be a pole!" Eyevan adjusted the collar of their shirt and chuckled, "It can be anything, really!"

_Anything?… _Prism Break thought as he glazed over the crowd, then fixed his stare on Wrecking Ball who still sobbed in the corner, _That's it!_

"Wrecking Ball!" Prism Break shouted as he ran over to Wrecking Ball and nudged Wrecking Ball's back, "We need your help!"

"You, you do?" Wrecking Ball sniffled as he looked up at Prism Break.

Prism Break only nodded in response.

"You can get us out!" Prism Break slapped one crystal hand against the other, then pointed towards the stone bars, "If you can get those keys, we'll be good as free!"

"Really?" Wrecking Ball wiped his tears away with his tongue and jumped to his feet, "Okay!"

His sorrow completely forgotten, Wrecking Ball rolled towards the gates as Prism Break watched.

"That was a quick turnaround," Prism Break remarked with a shrug before he rejoined the few crowded at the gates.

There, all eyes were on Wrecking Ball as Wrecking Ball turned a steady gaze towards the sleeping guard, puffed out his cheeks… Then like a rocket his tongue shot out of him mouth and wrapped around the shining thing that hung from the guards' belt! Wrecking Ball's tongue slapped back into his mouth soon after, while everyone turned and looked with him with anticipation… Only for Wrecking Ball to stick out his tongue and reveal the keyring! The very sight caused the crowd around to cheer with utter, hopeful joy!

"Quiet, the guards'll hear you!" Prism Break shushed before he nudged Eyevan with his rocky shoulder, "You do the honors. I'd do it myself…"—Prism Break cast a glance towards his crystal hands—"But I don't have fingers."

Eyevan nodded as they retrieved the keys from Wrecking Ball, then pulled out a single stone key and walked up to the cell's bars. With a plug in the keyhole and a little jimmying, the lock crashed onto the floor and the cell door swung straight open!

"We're free!" Cried the cyclopes from the crowd, only for a wave of frowns to form among their ranks as Eyevan and Eyerene shook their heads.

"We're not out of the stones yet," Eyevan corrected as they cast a gaze out the pathways.

"They're right," Eyerene added as she dug through her pockets, "We still need to get out of these dungeons first!"

Eyerene then withdrew a small cloth sack and pulled its drawstrings open to reveal a shiny powder within. As everybody drew closer to Eyerene in fascination of her strange pouch, she dug her hands into it and cast the powder all around the group.

"This invisibility powder should keep the guards off our tails," Eyerene explained as she pointed towards the open door, "Now hurry! We don't have much time!"

And hurry was what they did! Like a swarm of bees or a flock of mice or whatever they were called, the team gathered together, so tightly crammed that they clogged the entire hallway as they fled out the door.

In fact, Prism Break could've sworn he saw the sleeping guard they snagged the keys from awaken with fright from all the noise out the corner of his eye, but that couldn't possibly be a problem! They _were_ invisible, after all!

"Now…" Eyerene gazed from left to right as they turned a corner, "If I recall correctly, we run down this path and—"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Echoed a tough-sounding voice around the halls.

Prism Break turned around and winced—because it was indeed that guard they had woken up with all the commotion! Looks like he was going to be a problem after all…

"You thought you could pull a fast one on me, didn't cha?" Sneered the guard as he withdrew a stone magnifying glass from his pocket and placed it over his eye, "But I can see right through ya!"

"Crap!" Eyerene exclaimed as she looked back at the guard, "I didn't think they'd have those nullifying lenses!"

"Looks like we'll have to take the hard way out," Prism Break sighed as he dusted off his hands, "Good thing I'm tough as rock!"

Prism Break clapped his hands, and in moments a fissure of rich green crystals sprouted out from the stone floors underneath them.

The guard watched in panic as the crystals shot towards him, then frantically slammed his fist against the wall and revealed… Something bright and red? A button?

Before he could even gingerly press it, however, the fissure of crystals slammed him against the ceiling! With a loud CONK he flopped down onto the crystals while everybody breathed sighs of relief…

Then the crystals withdrew back into the earth, and the guard's unconscious body rolled over and slammed against the red button!

In moments of its press, the loud wail of sirens cried around the halls, paired with the sounds of intense charging and stomping as guards filed in by the hundreds! Their eyes were narrowed and their palms sweaty as they clasped their weapons tight, and they were so numerous in forces that they all started to look the same after a little while…

But that didn't deter Prism Break, who shot off a laser fast as lightning! His teammates followed suit as they backed his laser with weaponry shots and magic blasts… But all of them only ricocheted off of the guards' armor and dashed right above their heads.

As the guards enclosed on Prism Break and his teammates, Prism Break gulped.

"Well, looks like it's time for Plan B!" Eyevan proclaimed as their eye trained on the guards with intense worry.

"And that would be?" Prism Break asked as he looked at Eyevan.

"RUN!"

With the guards hot on their tail, everybody followed Eyevan's examples and made headway through the damp stone halls! Though they had exerted so much energy, it was like the fear had given them a new spike of motivation as they dashed down halls, turned corners and climbed heights all throughout the dungeon.

But, it was of little use. The guards that tailed them still couldn't be shaken, and the whole team was starting to grown worn.

"THERE!" Eyerene exclaimed as she pointed towards a side passageway, "Though that hall!"

The crowd diverged into the hall Eyerene had directed them to… Only to find themselves face-to-face with even more guards! As they screamed and jumped back, however, the other guards had blocked the prior exit, which left them completely cornered!…

Or so they thought.

"Up those stairs!" Eyevan shouted as they pointed towards a shadowy stairwell!

Not in the mood for being captured yet again, the team followed Eyevan's lead as they trekked up the stairs… But midway through their flight, several bulky cyclops guards blocked off the top!

"I'll take care of these guys!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he curled up and rolled up the flight, "WRECK AND ROLL!"

Wrecking Ball was a blue comet crashing through the heavens as he dashed up the stairs and slammed straight into the guards, who cried out in pain as they toppled over one another!

They tried to get up, but there was no chance! As soon as Wrecking Ball landed, they were trampled underfoot by the rest of the team in their frantic escape!

Prism Break didn't even have time to apologize or feel bad—not that he would, anyways. As they ran further into the halls, they all made headway towards the nearest wall only to crash straight into it! But, instead of causing pain, the wall turned around and spat everybody out!

While everybody collected themselves, Prism Break caught a few breaths of his own. He really was not used to running for his life like that and all. As he looked up, he couldn't help but frown with confusion.

It seemed that he had been dropped into a new hallway altogether, as had the rest of the team. They were the only ones there aside for a few spiders who dutifully guarded their webs, or the occasionally one-eyed rat that scurried along, and there were no sounds other than water dropping or heavy breathing… It was dangerously peaceful, if that made sense. Like, the kind of feeling that made one feel as if something was going to jump out an attack at any moment!

"Is everybody okay?" Eyevan asked as they looked among the crowds, who only made tired murmurs of response, "Well, that's one order of business taken care of, now for the next…"—Eyevan frowned as they glazed back and forth among the halls—"Just where are we, anyways?!"

"Beats me," mumbled another cyclops as they stood up and brushed dirt off of their head, "Wait, where'd my hat go?"—the cyclops turned around and gasped—"There it is!"  
Just a few ways off from their tired group, a round, baggy hat sat on the ground, completely still and innocent.

"Now." The cyclops wandered over to the hat and reached out towards it, "Come to papa—"

Before the cyclops could retrieve their hat, however, the hat inched away from their grasp!

"… What the—"

The cyclops screamed in horror as something nudged out from under the hat—a rat! The rat squeaked and sniffed the air as it looked at the cyclops… Then screamed as well before it dove back under the hat and scampered into the distance.

"GIVE ME BACK MY HAT, YOU NO GOOD THIEVING LITTLE—!"

As the cyclops made a mad dash after the hat, Eyevan chased after them in pursuit.

"Cornelius, wait!" Eyevan exclaimed, though their cries fell on uncaring ears as Cornelius ran out of sight, "After him!"

And as everybody chased after Cornelius and Eyevan, Prism Break only sighed and followed them at the back of the group.

"Darn rats…"

§

"And here we are!" Insider proclaimed as they stretched their arms wide.

Their travels through the warp had lead them to a gigantic stone courtyard covered in fanciful ivy vines and elaborate, regal-looking masonry colored in imperial shades of red, orange, and purple like the sunset of an important day. The center pathway out of the courtyard lead to a gigantic building that was surely the treasury… And if there was any doubt, then the red stone gate that was flanked with two glowing eyes—one green, one yellow—might have put any fears to rest.

"Finally!" Chihiro proclaimed as she heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back, "If I had to look at one more puzzle I think my brain was gonna explode!"

"The job's far from over though," reminded Insider as they looked back at Chihiro and wagged a clawed finger, "We still need to get inside and activate the self-destruct function!"

"That's gonna be easy, though!" Chihiro smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "We just have to break a few switches, right?"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Insider turned their head back to the tower and watched its door open with a rumble, "You never know what kind of tricks they could have up their sleeves."

A couple gulps were heard as the party carefully trailed inside the tower—Which was near-completely pitch black! No windows, no lamps… Even the light from the door quickly faded as it closed down behind them.

"What happened to the lights?" Remarked a tiny cyclops as they swerved their head around.

"Be on guard!" Insider warned, "Anything could happen here!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers and watched as an orb of cyan light manifested in her hands, then cast it around the area.

The sphere trailed around the floors in a circle, though it was so small that precious little was illuminated. All that could be found were what looked like four round, stone switches that glowed with a faint kind of magic energy that could be barely traced…

"Wait, did you guys see that?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jabbed a finger at the switches directions, "I think we found them!"

Excited jabber rose from the crowd as Chihiro smiled and summoned a sword made out of magic.

"Well, this can't be any more easier." Chihiro took a step forward and held her sword in front of her body, "Just gotta crack these switches and…"

As Chihiro took another step forwards, a low growl echoed from close by and reverberated all around the tower.

"… Did you guys hear that?" Chihiro looked back at the rest of the team, who only nodded in response, then glazed over the top of the tower, "Where's it coming from?"

Everybody looked in every which way! South, east, west, north, west-east and perhaps even a few more unknown directions… But no matter what, they couldn't pin down the sound of the growling, which had grown more and more intense!

Then someone clapped and the lights came on.

And there, right before them, were cyclops mammoths of all sorts! Tall ones with faded scars and rippling muscles, scrappy smaller ones with sharp tusks, very angry ones with bloodshot eyes and dried red stains on their fur… Thankfully they were all tied down to tough-looking stakes, though they didn't appear happy with it judging by their way their teeth were bared.

"Well, well, look what we have here~" Crooned a shrill voice as a smaller cyclops dressed in animal taming gear stepped out from behind a particularly large mammoth, "Our favorite rebels!"

"And what's this?" Crowd another cyclops tamer as they stepped from the side of a smaller mammoth, "They brought Skylanders with them too! No wonder you managed to get past our defenses!"

"We should've known something was strange when our units stopped responding to us!" Cried yet another tamer as they flipped off the back of a particularly nasty-looking mammoth and landed on their feet, "Mammoths, get them!"

With a snap of their fingers, the stakes that held the cyclops mammoths down disappeared and the tamers with them! Nothing stood in the way of the mammoths as they made loud growls and charged forwards, ready to make a quick snack out of the team… But they didn't! A bright light, so bright in fact that the heroes had to shield their eyes before their eyes were burned at the least.

While the mammoths whimpered and reeled back, Spyro flew down as his body shone with a yellow glow that unmistakably marked the light's ownership as his.

"Quick, while they're distracted!" Spyro ordered as he flew overhead.

Everybody in the ground-bound crowd nodded, then raised their weapons high and charged! What followed could only be described as a giant, one-sided fight! The heroes threw everything they had, from magic blasts to stone weapons right at the switches, their adversaries little more than an afterthought in their minds…

Well, save for the two mammoths that had regained their sight faster than the others and tried to lunge after the heroes, but they just clunked into each other and fell unconscious.

Chihiro stopped to gaze over the machine that the switches fed with power—an elaborate stone contraption that shot a thick beam of energy at the top of the tower—then her gaze trailed off to the four round switches…

The sound of flapping wings pulled her out of her thoughts as Spyro flew up next to her, then with a smile she looked up at Spyro and nodded. The two of them held out a hand and a paw, and together shot out a blast of energy that slammed right into the switch and blew it to bits!

While the switch's beam of energy disappeared, the machine's beam wavered just a bit.

One of the cyclopes stepped from the crowd and slammed their ax into the second switch, then looked up and saw Spyro shoot a gigantic fireball into the third.

Then with a beam, a small cyclops grabbed a sizable rock from the ground and tossed it right into the center of the fourth and final switch! The rock slammed into it with a sharp cracking noise, then harmlessly fell to the ground as the switch shattered completely!

Gasps of awe and joy were heard as the gigantic beam of energy finally vanished, paired with the sound of a machine whirring down.

"We did it!" Eyeantha proclaimed as she bounded forwards and wrapped Chihiro in a tight hug.

Chihiro made a sharp gasp, then beamed back as she swept up Eyeantha in her arms and spun her around.

The other cyclopes were more than excited as well! Some high-fived, others cheered and threw each other into the air, some kissed their partners out of pure, complete glee… Even Insider cracked a small smile as they looked over the deactivated machine.

Then a couple pebbles dropped on their heads.

"Wait, what was that?" Spyro asked as he and several others looked up at the ceiling and frowned.

Tiny, crumbly bits of masonry popped down from the ceiling like raindrops… Then a large stone brick crashed into the floor as the entire tower rumbled!

"Crap!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped out from where another brick smashed into the floor, "I forgot that thing was the only thing holding this tower up!"

"You know what?" Cried a cyclops man with a frantic urgency in his voice, "How about we celebrate AFTER we get out of here?!"

Terrified murmurs of agreement resounded around as everybody raced from the door… Then promptly skidded to a halt!

Right there in front of them, the cyclops mammoths they had thought they incapacitated had gathered in front of the sole door, teeth bared and eyes bloodshot. Clearly, they weren't in a good mood.

"CRAP!" Spyro exclaimed as he narrowly flew into the jaws of a cyclops mammoth.

"Forgot about these dudes!" Chihiro finished for Spyro as she yanked his tail and pulled him away just before the mammoth snapped its jaws.

With loud howls the mammoths leaped after the cyclopes, but the crowd swiftly parted before those mammoths could even get a scratch in! As the mammoths crashed onto the cracked floor, they growled and ran forward while everybody ran for their lives! It was a good thing those mammoths were super slow and bulky—otherwise, they might have been in for some real trouble.

"There's no way we'll be able to fight them off in time," Insider exclaimed as they ran around in a circle with a scarred mammoth in close pursuit, "We have to get rid of them some other way!"

"Let me try!" Cried a younger cyclops who donned ragged mage robes as he waved a stone staff.

The staff glowed with a faint blue light, then cast a blue glow around the room that made the mammoths stop and tilt their heads for a few moments…

Then they shook their heads and went back to chasing everyone.

"WHAT?!" The mage exclaimed as their jaw dropped, "WHY?!"

"I don't know what making them glow was supposed to accomplish," Chihiro exclaimed as she ran away from a cyclops mammoth, "But—"—Chihiro skidded to her right as a stone slab fell down from above—"YIKES!"

"That's the thing, it wasn't supposed to just make them glow!" The mage readied his staff once more, "It was supposed to banish them!"—The mage then smacked his staff against the ground—"But this dumb thing doesn't have enough juice!"

"Let me try it, then!" Chihiro jumped to the mage's side.

As the mage waved his staff around again, Chihiro's hands flashed a magical shade of chromatic cyan. Chihiro then shot her glowing hands in front of her body and sent a large bolt of concentrated magical energy straight at the staff! The staff received the energy like a bird received food from its parents, its stone surface now aglow with bright cyan.

With a smirk, the mage pointed the staff at the mammoths, then waved it around a few more times.

At first, it seemed like nothing happened, and the mammoths went back to gleefully chasing everyone around like it was nothing! But then, they completely froze in place, their eyes small with confusion. And finally, they all vanished in a bright blue glow!

"Alright, everyone!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stepped towards the door and made an ushering motion, "There's no time to stand around, get going like you're Christmas shoppers at a holiday layaway!"

"What's Christmas?" Asked one small cyclops to the other.

"Is it something you eat?" Replied their conversation partner.

Before anyone could make a word more, a gigantic slab of stone crashed down from the ceiling and made a sizable hole in the floor!

"GO, GO, GO!" Chihiro demanded as she pointed towards the door.

With screams and hastened feet everybody charged out the door in a gigantic crowd, the sounds of their running feet like a herd of those cyclops mammoths they were fighting not all that long ago! Everybody else charges outside till the only one left was Chihiro!

"Yeah, I'd say that was pretty good…" Chihiro said as she dusted off her hands and placed them on her hips, "Wait, what's that sound?"

Chihiro frowned and looked up, then her eyes shrunk as she froze in place—because a gigantic stone slab was crashing down from the ceiling with its sights set on her!

Just before it could squish her like the terrified insect she was, Spyro flew back inside and yanked Chihiro out by the shoulder!

Thus, the slab was only able to crash into the ground as the tower crumbled to bits…

§

"Got'cha!" Cornelius shouted as he snagged his hat from the now very-tired rat and positioned it on top of his head.

Cornelius stood tall and proud with his now-reclaimed hat… Then his legs gave out and he fell into a heap on the floor, his breath exhaled in heavy pants.

"There you are, Cornelius!" Eyevan exclaimed as they stopped and loomed over Cornelius, "Did you really need to chase that mouse down five alleyways?"

"Don't give me that look!" Cornelius shot back Eyevan's glare, "This hat cost me two thousand gold! I'm not just gonna give it up to some rat!"

"Well look where your little hat chase got us!" Eyevan gestured out towards the open halls, "Now we're… Now, we're…"—Eyevan frowned and glazed all around the stone walls—"Actually… I have no idea where we are!"

"Good going, you two!" Eyerene scolded as she pushed herself into the fray, "Now we're completely lost!"

"Don't look at me!" Eyevan shouted back as they shook a fist at Eyerene while their free finger pointed towards Cornelius, "He was the one who ran off to chase some hat rat!"

"Hey, everyone!" Cornelius shouted as he jumped to his feet and waved, "I think—"

"Don't try to worm your way out of this, Cornelius!" Eyevan glared back at Cornelius, "You're the one who got us stuck here in the first place!"

"No, seriously, Eyevan, I—"

"CORNELIUS!" Eyevan growled and rolled up their sleeve, their hand now balled into a fist, "I—"

"EYEVAN, CORNELIUS, CALM DOWN!" Eyerene exclaimed as she thrust herself between Eyevan and Cornelius and glared them both down, "YOU'RE BOTH GOING TO ATTRACT THE GUARDS IF THIS KEEPS UP!"

"What's going on here?!" Demanded a gravely voice from the shadows.

Eyevan, Eyerene and Cornelius all gasped, then stood firm as they withdrew their weaponry… Only for the voice's owner to step out of the shadows and reveal themself to be Prism Break!

"I can hear you all shouting from halfway across the hall," Prism Break nagged as he crossed his arms, "It's grating on my nerves!"

Eyevan, Eyerene and Cornelius all made inconspicuous coughs into their hands before they cast their gazes aside.

"Well, I was about to say that I thought I saw an exit across from here," Cornelius said at last as he shot Eyevan a glare, "But Eyevan kept rudely interrupting me!"

"Wait, you did?!" Eyevan exclaimed as they whipped their head around.

"Yes I did, you numbskull!" Cornelius pointed a finger towards the end of the pathway, "See that light over there?"

Everybody's gazes followed the path led by Cornelius's finger, which indeed showed a soft, faint light that poured from above the pathway's end. That had to be their ticket out!

"Cornelius, forget I ever doubted you!" Eyevan hugged Cornelius tight, then let go of him and ran ahead, "Come on, it's time to get out of this dumpster!"

Everybody else in the team watched Eyevan run out of view, then with shrugs they all followed Eyevan down the way.

The path was surprisingly light on weird animals or dampness compared to the rest of the dungeons' secret halls. All it had was smooth stone walls and floors, unlike the rough floors and brick walls of before, as if it was part of something entirely different… Either way, there wasn't much time left to contemplate this, for the journey came to an end as everybody stopped at the end of the path—a walled-off room with a ladder attached to its frontmost wall.

"Hey, I think I can see an opening," Eyevan remarked as they walked up to the ladder and looked above, then grabbed onto a rung a few paces above them, "Come on!"

As Eyevan climbed further up the ladder, the other cyclopes quickly followed suit. One by one they jumped onto the ladder and climbed up like ants on a picnic table leg.

Prism Break, on the other hand, took one glace at the ladder… Then looked down at his notably fingerless hands and frowned.

"Why aren't you going up, Breaks?" Wrecking Ball asked as he rolled up to Prism Break and bounced in place.

Prism Break only gestured towards the ladder with the aforementioned fingerless hands and shot Wrecking Ball a glare. However, Wrecking Ball didn't quite seem to understand Prism Break's annoyance given his frown and tilted head.

"Whatever." Wrecking Ball waddled towards the ladder, "I'll race you up there!"

With a grunt Wrecking Ball pulled himself onto the ladder's first rung, then tried to grab onto the next with his foot… But thanks to his lack of opposable thumbs, he couldn't keep a grip and ended up falling on his back! This didn't deter him, however. He merely jumped back to his feet and wiggled with glee! Wrecking Ball shot out his tongue, and in moments it wrapped around a higher rung and flung him towards the ladder! His eyes trained on the higher rungs, he let go of the rung and tried to grab the next, but it was no use. He missed his target by a hare and fell into Prism Break's arms.

"Darn." Wrecking Ball pouted as he crossed his front legs.

"You two need some help down there?" Eyerene asked as she looked down at Prism Break and Wrecking Ball.

"Yes, please!" Prism Break replied as he let go of Wrecking Ball.

With a hum, Eyerene dug through her pockets, then grabbed a cloudy marble and tossed it down to Prism Break and Wrecking Ball. The marble flew through the skies, then slammed into the ground and crashed! While its marble surface shattered, its fragments released a white misty haze that solidified into a hovering cloud!

"Just climb on!" Eyerene turned around and climbed the ladder once more.

Prism Break gazed over the cloud and poked it, almost as if he wasn't sure it could carry his weight, but Wrecking Ball had no hesitation whatsoever! With a chirp Wrecking Ball jumped onto the cloud and rolled back and forth across its fluffy surface, then with a shrug Prism Break hopped on and sat down on the cloud as well.

Its passengers taken, the cloud floated higher and higher up, until the two of them had rejoined the rest the team at last! They all diligently climbed and floated up the ladder's heights… But that diligence wouldn't last forever. The ladder was so, so, _so _tall, and soon enough they had all started to grow quiet tired!

Eyerene groaned as she hung her head and dozed off, only to jolt back awake as something nudged her foot and frantically climb up, Cornelius swiped at thin air as his eyelid flickered up and down… Even Wrecking Ball, normally an eternal fountain of energy, had grown worn as he rolled on his back and snored.

"Just how high does this ladder go, anyways?" Cornelius groaned as he finally gripped onto the next rung of the ladder and pulled himself up.

"Wish I knew…" Eyevan sighed, their voice as worn as their body as they looked up then gasped, "Wait, I think I see the light source!"

Now full of vigor, Eyevan scrambled further up the ladder, until they had finally reached its top and found themself under a large stone manhole!

"Here we are, everyone!" Eyevan grunted as they pushed off the manhole then poked their head out of the hole it guarded, "Freedom, sweet—"

Evevan stopped short as they looked around the surface, as did the teammates who had joined them.

There, the team found themselves in the inside of what seemed to be an elaborate stone tower! To their right was a gigantic machine powered by four switches that resonated with magic, and littered all around the area were soldiers who all stared at them in pure shock.

"Freedom?" Eyevan squeaked as they looked over at the guards.

It was an awkward staring contest as the guards looked at Eyevan and their teammates, while the team looked back at the guards as if they were unsure what to do quite now. Then finally, everyone jumped out of the hole, covered it back up with the manhole and cleared their throats. All at once, they all drew their weapons and glared down the guards!

"Everyone!" Eyevan exclaimed as they cracked their knuckles, "To arms!"

The guards were just as quick to respond! They grabbed their weapons and charged with a cry of war, their forces so numerous that they fell upon the heroes like an enormous tidal wave!

"Oh no you don't!" Prism Break exclaimed as he clapped his hands together and shot off a round of bright lasers that smacked the guards straight in their eyes!

"AUGH, MY EYE!" Cried one guard as they stumbled back.

"IT BURNS!" Wailed a second as they dropped their stone hammer, "IT BURNS!"

"WHERE ARE THE EYEDROPS WHEN YOU NEED THEM?!" Bemoaned a third as they shielded their eye from the overhead sunlight.

"Now's your chance, buddy!" Prism Break said as he looked down at Wrecking Ball and nodded.

"Yay!" Wrecking Ball squealed as he bounced up and down, "Wrecking time!"

Wrecking Ball laughed as he furled himself into a ball, then like a greased-up pinball he shot off before anyone could even blink or stop him! His target was the walls as he smacked right into their stone exteriors, then ricocheted off and knocked down the guards in waves.

Of course, Wrecking Ball wasn't the only one to get in on the fun!

With everyone blinded and distracted by other things, Eyevan found the perfect opportunity in a stone hammer one of the guards had dropped. Eyevan wound up their arm and tossed the hammer like a boomerang… And it worked wonders! It swung across the room with magnificent speed, then smacked right into the heads of several guards and knocked them out cold!

"Ha!" Eyevan smirked as they rubbed their chest, "You know, _eye_ bet that these guys are toast!"

In response to Eyevan's pun, however, everybody just groaned and smacked their hands against their faces.

"It wasn't that bad, guys!" Eyevan scoffed as they glared back at the others.

"Save the witty remarks for when we've actualy won, Eyevan!" Eyerene exclaimed as she withdrew a sack filled with magical powder.

"What she said!" Cornelius added as he pulled out a magnifying lens that shimmered with magic.

"But they can do it?!" Eyevan retorted as they gestured towards Prism Break and Wrecking Ball.

"That's because we're professionals!" Prism Break countered as he stepped forward and clapped his hands once again.

As he did this, gigantic emerald-colored crystals shot out from the grounds and sent the guards crashing all into the walls of the tower! The crystals receded soon after, but the pain they caused lasted far longer.

The guards all groaned in pain as they dropped down from walls and ceilings, notable cyclops-shaped impression left on their surfaces.

The perfect opportunity to finish the fight fell into the heroes' hands and by the Ancients, they took the opportunity with both hands! All at once, they shot out lasers beams, noxious clouds of gas, magic powder, stone weapons and so much more flung out from their hands and kicked up massive clouds of dust and chaos around the heat of the battlefield with everybody caught inside…

Well, all but one stray guard, that is!

That stray guard ducked out from the clouds and hid in the shadows as he watched the fight before him with trembling hands and sweaty palms.

"We're losing bad!" The guard whispered with a gulp, "The king'll have our heads if we let them get out of here…"—The guard cast a glance at the gigantic machine behind the chaos of the fight, and more specifically the switches that powered it, then smirked—"Unless they don't!"

Hidden by the cover of battle, the guard slipped through the ongoing fight and crept around the side of the machine, his eye now trained on the four power switches as they glowed bright. The guard gulped, then raised his arms and swung his ax straight into the first switch! As it flickered out of life, the guard moved over to the second switch and did the same… Then the third… And with the fourth in sight, he stepped forward.

But right as he did, something dropped on his head—a crumbled, tiny piece of ceiling!

"I'd better make this quick," The guard mumbled as he looked up then back down at the fourth switch, "This thing's already starting to cave!"

Unbeknownst to the guard, Prism Break happened to notice something fall on his head too!

"What was that?…" Prism Break asked as he brushed his head off and turned around… Only to see one of the cyclops guards, ax raised to the heavens as he got ready to smash in the final switch to the power machine!

Prism Break gasped for a few moments, then ran forward and rammed the guard into the side of the wall before he could finish!

"Get off of me, you walking rock pile!" The guard exclaimed as he pushed against Prism Break.

Prism Break stumbled back a bit, then gritted his rocky teeth as he raised a crystal hand.

"Walking rock pile?!" Prism Break exclaimed as he zapped the guard back into the wall, "Now you're in for it!"

With a shout Prism Break ran forwards and tried to land another blow, but he was far too slow! The guard merely slid past Prism Break, then drew back to the switch and got ready to shatter it once more!

The guard smirked as he swung down his arms, then a giant crystal formation leaped out of nowhere, slammed the guard back into the wall and tossed his ax into the air before he could finish the job!

Prism Break wiped the pebbles off his brow as he breathed a sigh of relief… Right as he saw the ax fall from the heavens, slam straight into the switch and completely shatter it to smithereens!

"Oops."

With a rumble so loud it pulled everyone out of their fights, chunks of the ceiling fell apart and smashed into the floors below!

"Quick!" Eyevan exclaimed as they pointed towards the tower's entrance, where the guards were already bulldozing their way out, "After them!"

But before any one of them could even make a step out into the light, the last guards ran through and slammed the door completely shut! Eyevan grunted as they tried to jiggle its knob open, but there was no luck. The door was completely shut!

"It's locked!" Eyevan looked back towards the group, whose eyes were filled with worry.

"Now how are we supposed to get out?!" Eyerene exclaimed as her eye darted back and forth in some frantic search for another escape route.

"Over there!" Cornelius shouted as he looked up and pointed, "There's a window!"

Everybody followed Cornelius's alert, and surely enough he was right.

There above them was a large window!

"How are we supposed to reach it, though?" Eyerene asked as she looked up towards the window, "It's way too high for any normal person to reach…"

"Good thing I'm not normal!" Wrecking Ball exclaimed as he wagged his tail.

His eyes trained on the window, Wrecking Ball shot out his tongue, latched it around the windowpane and flung it clean open! As his tongue retreated into his mouth, he shot it back out once more and wrapped it around several of his teammates.

"Mit's mlying time!" Wrecking Ball babbled as he lifted them up and catapulted them straight through the window!

Once they were safely out, Wrecking Ball did the same with the next few members of the group… And the next… And the following… Until the only ones left were him and Prism Break! Prism Break shot Wrecking Ball a wary look, then sighed.

"Normally I wouldn't agree to this," Prism Break sighed as he watched the crumbling ceiling, "But I don't think we have any other options,"—Prism Break heaved a tired sigh, as if he knew he'd regret this later—"Fire away, Wrecking Ball."

Wrecking Ball bounced with glee, then wrapped his tongue around Prism Break and heaved Prism Break up with a grunt. As he stumbled back from Prism Break's sheer weight, Wrecking Ball grunted yet again, then launched Prism Break out the window!

Prism Break flew out the window with a scream while Wrecking Ball watched.

As Prism Break fell out of sight and hearing, Wrecking Ball glazed over the open windowpane. Wrecking Ball then furled himself up, shot out his tongue and wrapped it around the windowpane!

"WHOA! WHOA!" Wrecking Ball shouted as he swung back and forth like a pendulum. Wrecking Ball regained his balance, then swung right into a wall, bounced off the wall and straight through the window!

With the air caressed against his body and the windowpane slammed shut, Wrecking Ball fell down and landed straight into Prism Break's stony arms! He blinked with surprise as he watched everyone dust themselves off and look at him with wide eyes, then…

"Wrecking Ball! Wrecking Ball! Wrecking Ball!" Everybody chanted as they tossed Wrecking Ball into the air and caught him.

Their cheers a source of infectious happiness, Wrecking Ball burst into sheer, uncontrolled laughter that rippled around the crowd's hearts. Even Prism Break made a soft chuckle as he watched them celebrate!

"WHAT THE—!?" Exclaimed a voice from across the way.

The celebrations stopped short as everybody turned around to see none other than the guards who had tried to trap them in the crumbling tower earlier!

"HOW DID YOU GET OUT OF THERE?!" Exclaimed a cyclops guard.

"THAT SHOULD'VE KILLED YOU ALL!" Shouted a second guard as they frantically scratched their head.

"Unfortunately for you," Prism Break said as he scowled and raised his hands, "It didn't!"

As his crystalline hands glowed green, gigantic crystals formations shot out from the ground with no warning and sent the guards flying right off of the island's side!

The guards who hadn't been caught in the collision tried to escape, but they were out of luck!

Wrecking Ball had spotted them immediately and bowled them onto their backs!

As they groaned and sat back up, the entire team of both Skylanders and cyclopes loomed over the guards, weapons bare and fiery scowls stoked with an almost intimidating rage.

The guards whimpered as the team loomed further and further onto them… Then with screams they dashed off into the horizon, never to be seen again. Well, hopefully.

"Well, that's one thing done!" Eyevan said as they dusted their hands off and looked at the forthcoming path as the crystals receded, "Now, time for the next step."

Eyevan took a step forward, then turned around and ushered everyone else to follow.

"Come on!" Eyevan exclaimed as they ran ahead, "The Crystal Eye won't rescue itself!"

§

"Back again, back again!" Chihiro proclaimed as her group faced the gate to the treasury once more… Except there was no gate.

It had come down at last, the two glowing eye symbols that laid beside it now dull and rocky like just about everything here!

"We did it!" Proclaimed Eyeantha as she leaped forwards and hugged Insider tight in what was clearly a fit of pure joy, "We all did!"

Chihiro made a gasp as she examined the gate, then looked overhead to see another crowd pour down from the pathway adjacent to them.

"PB! Wrecks!" Chihiro exclaimed as she bolted forward and tossed herself into Prism Break's arms, "The gate's down, you did it!"

Prism Break, however, was far too unprepared for her sudden hug and the two of them crashed to the floor instead! Good thing that Prism Break was made out of rock, or else that might've hurt!

"CHIHIRO!" Prism Break shouted as he sat back up and rubbed his rocky head, "Watch it! You could've—"—Prism Break stopped short as he looked further ahead and saw the open gate—"Wait, that gate's open!"

"You bet it is!" Chihiro jumped off of Prism Break, then pulled him up and dragged him over to the gate before she presented it in a proud manner, "And it was all thanks to all of us!"

"Yeah!" Wrecking Ball chirped as he rolled over to their side, "You wouldn't believe what happened, Chihiro!"

"You wouldn't believe what happened to us, Wrecks!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked down at him with eager eyes and bounced her arms, "We got stuck in this big puzzle and found this weird crystal cave…"

"And I found this giant trail of desserts but get this! It was a trap! Then we got stuck in these dungeons and had to fight our way out and—"

Spyro and Prism Break only looked at each other, smiled and rolled their eyes as Chihiro and Wrecking Ball rambled on and on and on…

"It's not over yet, though," Insider warned as they let go of Eyeantha's hug and glared down the gate, "We still need to get in there and get the Crystal Eye back—and who knows what kind of dangers could lie beyond there!"

Gulps of fear were the only sounds heard among the wary silence that echoed round their group while they gazed down the pathways. They seemed stark and lifeless now, but who knew whether they were laden with hidden booby traps, or filled with troops ready to burst out at any moment… If they were even real and not an illusion in the first place!

Finally, Chihiro shrugged and made her way down, well, the way.

"No use standing around and waiting for the danger to come to us," Chihiro remarked as she stepped past the entrance, "We'd better get going before anybody notices those towers are down!"

Murmurs of agreement were heard as the others followed Chihiro down the path. But oddly, there was no danger to be found! There was nothing but stone walls and towers decorated in elaborate eye-themed patterns with colorful minerals, the looming tower that housed the Crystal Eye a giant among ants as it imposed above everything else.

"You know," Wrecking Ball said as he hopped along, "It's kinda qu—"

"SHHHHH!" Chihiro shushed as she immediately covered Wrecking Ball's mouth, "Don't say anything, Wrecking Ball!"

"Why not?" Wrecking Ball wriggled his way out of Chihiro's grasp and looked up at her with confusion glinted in his lime-colored eyes.

"Stuff like this always happens in TV!" Chihiro made a wary glance at the towers, "Somebody's traveling around some weird place, and then a bunch of monsters jump out or they awaken some evil curse all because they said 'Hup de dup, it's way too quiet in this place!'"—Chihiro then gazed back at Wrecking Ball—"But, as long as we don't say a word, it should be smooth—"

"HALT, INTRUDERS!" Cried a loud collection of voices from nowhere as cyclops warriors poured in from the towers!

"Crap! I just said it!" Chihiro's eyes froze as she stopped short, then she hung her head and groaned, "….Me and my big mouth."

From every angle, the entire armada poured in! Decorated soldiers armed to the nines with fancy weapons, sorcerers with elaborate staffs that radiated with magic power and much more all filed in and surrounded them.

As they closed in, Chihiro only cracked her knuckles.

"Alright buddies, we can do this the easy way to the hard way," Chihiro said as she drank in the sights of angry warriors, "You can let us go through and get the Eye, or—"—Chihiro ducked down as a flaming stone arrow narrowly flew over her head and hit the side of a tower before she sprung back up—"… Hard way it is!"

With a powerful yowl Chihiro set her hands alight with flaming aqua energy, then punched them forwards and shot an entire ballista of flaming energy blasts towards the cyclops soldiers that had charged towards her!

As the blasts slammed into the soldiers and sent them flying backwards, Chihiro smirked and placed her hands on her hips… Then jumped back with a yelp as a soldier about her size tried to slash her with an ax!

"Geez, they aren't kidding when they tell you to always watch your back," Chihiro huffed, then held out her hands, "Guess I'll need to broaden my range!"

Within moments, a flash of light covered her hands and then shaped itself into a hammer made entirely of shimmering aqua magic! Chihiro leaped up and slammed the hammer into the ground, which not only created a decently-sized crater but also sent the cyclops soldiers around her into the air!

As they squirmed and failed to get back on the ground, Chihiro swung her hammer around. The speed of her swing was so great, it went from a hammer to a giant tornado that shut in just her area and shot the soldiers all over the place! They landed in the walls of towers and made cyclops-sized holes, crashed into other soldiers and knocked both parties out cold, flew into the skies and got pecked by migrating birds… Wherever you could look, there was nothing but terrified cyclops soldiers sent flying!

And while all that chaos went on, Chihiro was the eye of the storm as she floated back down and swung her hammer over her shoulder, a pleased smirk on her face.

"LOOK OUT!" Someone shouted from above as Chihiro panicked and fell to the floor.

That someone was none other than Spyro, who was completely covered in flames as he charged right into the heart of an entire cyclops platoon and knocked them down like bowling pins!

While they stood up and frantically patted flames off their bodies, Spyro's own flames dissipated and his eyes flashed a rich ocean blue. Spyro exhaled, then gigantic bubbles flew out of his mouth and trapped the soldiers inside their wet, slimy interior! The soldiers pushed and poked and did whatever they could to pop them, but the bubbles were far too strong.

Spyro, however, wasn't going to rest just yet! His eyes became so dark a shade of blue they were almost black as he vanished in a dark black fog! While the soldiers that surrounded stared in confusion, he leaped from the mist and charged them down. As Spyro shook his head and became visible once more, his eyes glanced over to Prism Break.

Prism Break was cornered into a wall by several bulky-looking cyclops generals who wielded hard stone maces… And yet, he looked perfectly calm.

"What's he planning?…" Spyro whispered before he narrowly dodged a flaming arrowhead and went to charge the archer who sent it his way.

As for Prism Break, while the ones who had him cornered drew closer and closer, he only clapped his hands and surrounded himself in a cocoon of striking green crystal!

The cyclops generals only cocked their heads in confusion before they looked down at their maces and shrugged. With scowls on their faces they lifted their maces to strike... Then a bright light overtook their vision as lasers shot every angle! Everywhere you look, bright green and white lasers turned the entire area into a light show and seared down waves upon waves of cyclops soldiers! The ones who couldn't attack weren't any better off, either, for the light was so bright it rendered them unable to see!

A number of smaller crystals then rammed into the large crystal that housed Prism Break and shattered it into tiny fractals.

"Not bad for an old stone like me," Prism Break remarked as he stood in the center of the shower and admired his crystalline hand.

As their enemies stumbled about in confusion and dizziness, the cyclopes took their chance! They leaped forward and blasted away the soldiers, tossed them off cliffs and did whatever they could to rid themselves of these pests.

However, during the whole fight, Eyeair and Eyedelle stood behind with sacks of unlit bombs held close by.

"Hey!" Wrecking Ball called as he rolled over to their side, "Wanna get in on the action?"

The two of them looked at each other and beamed, then looked back at Wrecking Ball and furiously nodded.

"Hop on!"

Eyeair and Eyedelle jumped right onto Wrecking Ball's back, with Eyeair's hands held tight on his antenna and Eyedelle's clenched around Eyeair's waist.

"Now hang on tight!" Wrecking Ball shouted as he scraped his paws against the worn stone, "Cause here we GOOOOOOOOOOO!"

With a loud laugh Wrecking Ball zoomed through the battlefield while Eyeair and Eyedelle tossed away their now-lit bombs! All that could be heard from them was laughter and explosions in a harmony that was best described as anarchy personified!

"Kids!" Shouted Eyeantha as she shot a syringe into the neck of a small soldier and yanked it out as the soldier passed out, "Didn't I tell you not to play with bombs?"

But, they didn't hear her, for they blew past her in a blur!

So, Eyeantha only sighed and shook her head, then jolted back into the heat of battle as more soldiers stormed in!

Chihiro gritted her teeth as she scanned the area around her, which was now full once more of cyclops soldiers.

"Geez, how big an army does this guy have?" Chihiro demanded as she turned her head around, "At this rate, we'll never make it to…"

Chihiro's jaw dropped as she glazed over the door to the treasury… Which now had a gate slowly rising over it!

"The gate! It's closing!" Chihiro exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

The sound of her scream caused all the others to turn around, then gasp as the gate drew higher and higher. They tried to bolt forwards and reach the gate… But the soldiers immediately blocked them off! All they could do was ram straight into the soldiers' armor and fall back.

"There's too many of them!" Spyro exclaimed as the battle commenced once more, "We'll never get in there in time!"

"But we've gotta find a way!" Chihiro cried back as she blocked a blow from an ax with a magic shield, "We can't just give up now!"

As they heard this, several of the cyclopes pushed past Chihiro, Spyro and all the others, then hit the soldiers with a fierce blow!

"We'll handle these guys!" Shouted one as she looked back at the others and winked, "You just worry about getting the Eye!"

Chihiro frowned as she looked back at the group, which now consisted of her, Spyro, Wrecking Ball, Prism Break and maybe a fraction of the rebel forces, then looked back at the frontliners with worry in her eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be able to do it?" Eyeantha asked as she stepped forwards and placed a hand against her heart.

"There's no time to worry about that!" The cyclops on the frontlines smacked a stone sword against the side of a soldier's chest and watched them reel back, "Just hurry! We'll keep them distracted!"

And distract them is what the cyclopes did! Between flying fists, soaring blasts of magic, and every other attack and trick in the book, the battlefield had dissolved into chaos! But, it left the gate unguarded in the process!

Chihiro only made a weak nod, then looked down at Wrecking Ball and yanked him off the ground!

"Don't let us down, Wrecks!" Chihiro exclaimed as she launched Wrecking Ball into the skies and right above the gate!

While Wrecking Ball soared, he shot out his tongue and yanked Chihiro, the Skylanders, and the few rebel forces who weren't caught in the heat of battle! He yanked them up with him, then all of them fell into a pile on the other side of the gate right as it pulled up in full.

Heavy panting was heard as they all stumbled back to their feet, then with a firm yank Chihiro pulled the treasury door open and ran inside with everyone else close behind!

§

Darkness. Darkness and strange feelings blanketed the otherwise void of life area that Chihiro entered as the doors shut behind her. She felt goosebumps run up her arms as she reached for what she presumed was Spyro's paw next to her, then gave the warm, scaly paw a tight squeeze. Something about this place felt… Wrong.

"Why's it all dark in here?" Chihiro asked as she raised her hand and got ready to snap a light source into existence… But before she could do so, a light flickered to life!

Chihiro let out a tiny squeal as she jumped back, before she realized she had yanked Spyro back in the process and gave off a sheepish giggle as she let go of his paw.

"There it is!" Called several others from within their party as hands pointed towards the heavens, "The Crystal Eye!"

Chihiro gasped and followed their gaze to find that they were right!

The sole spotlight that had come to life was fixed on one particular spot… And revealed that seated in that spot on a large, stone pedestal was a gigantic eye-shaped jewel plated with a bazillion glass plates and a golden disc in the center that almost resembled a pupil.

Heh, it kinda looked like a disco ball, now that Chihiro thought of it. She made a soft chuckle as the mental image of using the relic for dance parties popped into mind. Her eyes then glazed over Wrecking Ball, who was bouncing up and down.

"I'll get it, I'll get it!" Wrecking Ball proclaimed with a childlike eagerness as he jumped forward and got ready to grab the Crystal Eye… Only for Spyro to pull him back!

"Spyro!" Wrecking Ball pouted and cross his front legs, "What gives?"

"You can't just storm in like that, Wrecking Ball!" Spyro scolded as he flew Wrecking Ball back to the group and dropped him into Prism Break's arms, "Something's not right about them just leaving the Crystal Eye unguarded like this. It's probably a trick!"

"The salamander's right, m'boy!" Crowed a familiarly shrill and mocking voice as all the lights finally snapped on!

There, on a balcony ahead of everything else was that awful cyclops king from before! And right in front of the Crystal Eye? A _gigantic _army of cyclops warriors, all dressed in fancy stone armor that glowed with bright blue lights! Bulky, decorated soldiers that wielded tough swords and axes, tinier peons with equally-small spears, mages with elaborate-looking crystal staffs, even mammoths tamers that rode gigantic Cyclops Mammoths! They had to have put everything in their arsenal on this one Crystal Eye!

"Oh, I do love a good fight to the death!" The cyclops king crooned as he clapped his hands together and narrowed his eye with a gaze fixed tight on the heroes, "Especially when I know who's going to lose~"

"Yeah?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pushed forward and shook a fist at the cyclops king, "Don't put all your money in one basket! We're not gonna go down without a fight, right guys?"

"YEAH!" Cried the rest of the crowd behind her as Chihiro turned to face them.

"Rebels…" Chihiro summoned a sword made out of magic and pointed it towards the army before them, "Time to fight for your freedom!"

With shouts so loud they probably rattled the tower, everyone launched themselves into the heat of battle! Several of the cyclopes ran in to fight the swarming crowds of soldiers almost immediately. One hacked and slashed away at a fairly large soldier with their worn-looking ax, but the soldier swiftly blocked every move they could throw out! As their ax got lodge into the soldier's stone chestplate, the cyclops gulped and stepped back…

Only for a familiar, long, red tongue to shoot past and yank the ax right out of the soldier's armor! Wrecking Ball winked as he nudged the ax back to the cyclops rebel, who proudly reclaimed it from Wrecking Ball's clutches and swung it at the soldier once more.

This time, the soldier had been caught completely off-guard and didn't even have time to parry! They could only watched as the ax flew towards them… Then made a bloodcurdling scream that echoed around the tower as they fell!

But, nobody around paid much mind to that, for they were too busy fighting!

"Prism Break!" Shouted a cyclops mage as she waved her staff towards Prism Break, "Give me one of those lasers of yours!"

"Why?" Prism Break demanded.

"Because!" The mage pointed towards the ring of soldiers that surrounded them both, "That's why!"

"… I see your point."

Prism Break shook his wrist and shot off an iridescent laser beam straight at the mage! The mage, however, was fully prepared. She merely shot a laser beam of her own from the staff she wielded so firmly! Her laser beam with Prism Break's own beam and transformed into a gigantic laser that shot down the entire row of soldiers before them!  
The two of them let out a cheer as the mage high-fived Prism Break, or at least tried to with him being fingerless and all, then jumped back as a shadow was cast over the battlefield.

"Look out below!" Spyro proclaimed as Eyeair and Eyedelle tossed down bombs from the heavens!

While those who heard promptly jumped out of the way, the soldiers only watched as the bombs exploded at their feet and trapped them in crystalline prisons!

The whole battle had dissolved into chaos, but it was the _good _kind of chaos, the kind of sheer, spine-tingling feel of victory's rush. And by the Ancients, Chihiro loved it! With a battle cry of her own she pushed herself forward and slashed at the smaller soldiers that stood in her way with her energy sword! As they fell, she paused and looked up at the Crystal Eye.

_Everybody's freaking out cause of this whole battle! Now's my chance_! Chihiro thought as she sucked her lip, then knelt down and closed her eyes.

As she focused her heart, magic flew out her bones and she felt her magic sword vanish from her grasp. Chihiro then opened her eyes to see giant springy shoes made out of magic manifest on her feet! Chihiro giggled as she bent her knees a few times, then sprung up and found herself face-to-face with the Crystal Eye! In that moment of sheer perfection, all lined up from her to just yank it off its pedestal and finish the job at last…

But alas, it was not to be. The moment she reached out to grab it, a barrier shocked her and sent her flying!

Chihiro yelled out in pain as she flew across the battlefield, but her pain felt only momentary as she watched her allies with worried eyes.

Their once eager fighting was starting to relent, their attacks slower and their defenses vulnerable. They dragged their feet as the battle raged on, as if the life had been completely sucked out of them!

A concerned, slightly fearful look crossed Chihiro's face… Then she remember she couldn't fly and gravity was still in full effect.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Chihiro screamed as she plummeted down from above, only to land on Spyro's back, "Oof!"

"Had a rough landing there, Chihiro?" Spyro asked as he, Eyeair and Eyedelle looked up at her.

"That's one way of putting it." Chihiro giggled and scratched her head, then looked back down at the battlefield with a frown.

More and more of the cyclops army members poured in as the fight dragged on… Sheesh, these guys don't give up, do they?

"It's no use fighting, you know," The king prattled as he rested his hands on his lap, "I've got my entire trained army here, and all you have is a bunch of ragtag, part-time warriors! It's hopeless!"

"You may be right," Chihiro retorted as she swiveled around and glared down the cyclops king, "But that doesn't mean we're gonna give up! It's right in code seven—Skylanders fight for the hope of everyone in the universe, and that means these guys right here, too!"

Chihiro balled her hand into a fist and punched the air.

"And until we liberate this kingdom from Kaos's grubby hands, we're not gonna give up!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, child." The cyclops king grabbed a chicken leg from a servant's plate and took a large bite out of it, "What you can do pales in comparison to the sheer power that Lord Kaos holds. You'd be no match against him in the person!"

As the cyclops king finished his chicken leg, he gripped the bone tight and wiped his mouth with his kerchief

"That's why, once I deliver the Crystal Eye to him, I'll wipe out this whole town and make it the perfect outpost for his armies!"

The cyclops king sneered as gasps were heard all around from rebel, soldier and Skylander alike.

"Judge me all you want! As far as I'm concerned, it'll be my greatest decision!" The cyclops king leaned back in his throne, "After all, why beat them when you can join them?~"

"You're no victor! You're a monster, that's what you are!" Cried Eyeantha as she pointed a finger towards the king, tears of rage in her eye.

"Yeah!" All the rebels and soldiers alike chimed in as they fixed their eyes on the king, weapons at the ready and spells charged to cast.

"What are you going to do about it? Kill me?" The king gawked as he placed a hand on his heart in mock-shock, "It's not like you'll outlast the spell I had cast over this area!"

"Spell?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "What spell?"

"My personal sorcerer cast a spell over this area…" The cyclops king made what was perhaps the most sadistic look he could as he tilted his head, "An _instadeath _spell, as a matter of fact! Everyone outside the safety of this barrier is going to die in an hour!"

Gasps of shock and fear were heard all around as low chattering erupted from the crowd below.

"An instadeath spell?! That's forbidden magic!" Chihiro exclaimed as her eyes shrunk, "And I'm pretty sure that's against the code!"—Chihiro shot a look down at Spyro—"That… _is _against the code, right?"

"Code four," Spyro replied with a solemn nod as he shot daggers at the cyclops king.

"Oh, what do you care? You've only got a half-hour more to live, anyways!" The cyclops king exclaimed as he broke into an awful spell of cackling, "Unless you can break this barrier… Oh, who am I kidding?! You lot couldn't even do that if you tried!"

While the cyclops king broke into his celebratory cackling, Spyro flew down to the floor and offloaded his passengers.

"Alright guys, we need a plan!" Chihiro exclaimed as she walked up to the crowd, a stern as stone look on her face, "How are we gonna break this barrier?"

"Well, first we need to find its source, obviously," Spyro replied as he walked up to Chihiro and placed a claw on his chin, "But where…"

"Actually!" Insider exclaimed as they popped up and shifted their way through the crowd, a fancy stone helmet in their arms, "I've been analyzing this armor with help from the mages,"—Insider brushed a finger over a series of the glowing blue marks—"See these marks?"

Chihiro and Spyro both nodded as they examined the helmet.

"Raw magic energy! And it's all going straight to the barrier." Insider made a firm nod as they spoke, "If we can destroy all this armor, then the barrier won't have anything to power it!"

"Well, that's one problem taken care of," Chihiro remarked as she frowned and looked down at her feet, "But there's so much! How are we gonna destroy it all without anyone noticing?"

Chihiro heard a humming sound, then looked to her side to see Spyro knees-deep in contemplation.

"Spyro, something up?"

"Actually, I do have an inkling of an idea," Spyro remarked as he finally broke out of his trance and looked up at Chihiro, "But, I'll need everyone's help to pull it off—so who's with me?"

The crowd all cheered and pumped their fists to the skies.

"That's what I like to hear!" Spyro pounded his fist against his other front paw, then leaned forward to the heads of the crowd, "Okay, here's the plan…"

Chihiro leaned in as she heard Spyro whisper away, then her eyes sparkled. This plan had to work! After all, it was Spyro's idea, and he seemed like he knew what he was talking about! But as she turned around and looked back up at the cyclops king, she felt her heart waver slightly…

"Ready to give up yet, worms?" The cyclops king sneered as he looked down at the crowds, "If you give in, I promise your deaths will be quick and painless… _NOT_!"

"Who said anything about dying?!" Spyro demanded as he turned to face the king.

Chihiro's heart pulled itself up just a bit as she looked back at Spyro, then watched him turn back to the crowd and nod. Spyro nudged Chihiro with his wing, as if he was prompting her to jump on, which she did immediately. The two of them flew back up to face the king, who still had that ugly smug look on his face. But Chihiro couldn't let it get to her right now, for she couldn't foil the plan.

"In case you haven't noticed, Skylanders never give up, buddy!" Spyro spat as he flew in place.

"Yeah!" Chihiro chimed in as she pointed a finger at the king, "Skylander code number nine says that Skylanders must be willing to protect and defend the universe at all costs, even if its their own life! If we let something like this stop us, then what kind of universe protectors would we be!?"

"Universe protectors, how pretentious," The cyclops king scoffed as he picked up his chicken bone and waved it around, "You sure love throwing that term around, don't you?"

"It's true!" Chihiro eyes narrowed as they burned with raw fire, "Code seven says we're supposed to protect the entire universe!"—Chihiro looked down at the crowds, then cast her gaze back at the king—"And seeing everyone here, I think I understand why that's so important now."

Chihiro made a deep breath, then exhaled.

"Everyone here…" Chihiro shook her head, "No, everyone who's suffering under Kaos's reign is looking to us for hope! They're counting on us to save them from your ugly little boss!"

Spyro made an approving smile up at Chihiro, who only gasped with joy as she saw the light in his eyes.

"Chihiro's right!" Spyro shouted back as fire shot out from his mouth, "As long as there are people counting on us to protect them, We'll always keep on fighting!"

"But can you really do it by yourselves?" The cyclops king asked as he rested his head against his hand, "Just a couple of Elder Elemental imitators against an entire army?"

"That's where you wrong, buddy!" Chihiro shot back as she and Spyro looked down at each other and grinned.

"SKYLANDER CODE NUMBER TEN!" Chihiro and Spyro proclaimed in unison, "Skylanders work as a team!"

Just then, a giant barrage of all sorts of fancy stone armor—helmets, breastplates, boots, knee and shin guards… Everything one could have thought of flew into the air!

"NOW!" Shouted Spyro as he turned around and smirked.

Right on cue, the crowd of cyclopes, rebel and soldier alike, were joined in unity as they tossed their weaponry, magic spells and whatever other attacks they could have thrown right at the gathered armor! It was a beautiful sight, to see everyone turned against the tyrant that had cost them all so much.

Even Prism Break and Wrecking Ball had joined in on the fun as they shot out white-hot laser beams and solid burps straight at the gallery.

Spyro and Chihiro both smiled and nodded at each other, then shot their own magic attacks at the armor as it hung in midair…

And as everything collided into one, a colorful explosion blew out across the tower! Everybody shielded their eyes as the light flared all over the room… Then as it faded they all looked up and watched with glee as the armor was reduced to nothing more than ash!

"WHAT?!" The king exclaimed as he fell out of his throne and watched the barrier flicker out of existence, then cast a glare at the sorcerer beside him, "Sorcerer, cast a new instadeath spell right this instant, or it's off with your head!"

Before the sorcerer could respond, however, a giant aqua ball of magic energy hit them square in the chest and sent them hurtling into a stone wall!

"Sorry, bug-eye…" Chihiro smirked as her hands flared with magic, "We can't let you do that, I'm afraid!"

The king hyperventilated as his pupil shrunk so much that it was little more than a dot, then in a hurry he jumped to his feet.

"You may have turned my army against me and broke my instadeath spell," The king shouted as he jumped down to the Crystal Eye's pedestal and yanked it off, "But can you smart your way out of this?!"

As the king held the Crystal Eye in his grasp, sirens and red lights flared all around the treasury room.

"SELF-DESTRUCT MEASURES ACTIVATED!" Proclaimed a mechanical voice from above, "SELF-DESTRUCTING IN TWENTY…"

"Have fun being blown to bits!" The king panted as he opened a wooden door behind the pedestal.

"NINETEEN… EIGHTEEN… SEVENTEEN…"

"After him!" Insider proclaimed as they pointed to the door!

Spyro and Chihiro flew back down into the crowds, then with everyone together they all cried out as they charged forward and broke down the door! The king's footsteps echoed around the cobblestone hallways as they all stampeded forwards, the self-destruct sirens now little more than background noise.

As they charged forward, the sirens faded out entirely while the king grew closer and closer in their sights. Though, it seemed as if in his panic, he hadn't noticed them at all.

"I may have failed to stop them, but at least I can still hand over the Crystal Eye to Lord Kaos," The king sputtered as he ran upstairs and dove through a large door, "He'll surely promote me to one of his top-ranking officials then!"

"Not so fast!" Insider proclaimed as they jumped into the room, everybody else close behind.

The king looked up, then jumped back with a scream!

His odds were absolutely hopeless, just like he had told the Skylanders about theirs before! He was trapped in a room so tiny it barely housed the entire cyclops armada that had turned against him, and there didn't appear to be any forms of escape thanks to all they had blocked off. All that could be seen was a worn guillotine behind him.

"Wait! Don't!" The king begged as he stumbled backwards, "It doesn't have to be like this! You could join me! We could rule together!"

"Nice try, buddy," Chihiro remarked as she stepped forwards and rubbed a fist against her vest, "But you've killed people, harmed civilians, cast forbidden magic, exploited your position for status and wealth, and did a whole lotta other things that violate the Skylander Code!"

Chihiro's face turned cold and accusing.

"To align ourselves with the likes of you would be a direct violation of our morals!"

The king gulped as he stepped backwards. But, with every step back he took, everybody else stepped forward until his back was hard-pressed against the guillotine.

"This isn't the end of me!" The king growled as he backed up further and dug his hands into his pockets, "I still have one last trick up my sleeve, and you'll—"

Before the king could finish, he bumped the back of his foot against something, then stumbled backwards and fell straight into the guillotine! As the top of the wooden casing fell onto his head and left him trapped inside, his eye went wider than ever before.

"NO! STOP! PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU!" The king pleaded as he struggled and flailed against his bonds, "I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING! MONEY, POWER, MAMMOTH PUPPIES! WHATEVER YOU COULD WANT, I'LL GIVE YOU, JUST PLEASE LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"My apologies, _your highness_," Insider hissed as they stepped forward and gripped the guillotine's rope, "But there's only one thing we want out of you, and it's your death!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head, only for her vision to be blocked by Spyro's wing as it was flung over her eyes, "Hey, Spyro!"

"_All hail the king_!" Insider hissed as a tug of a rope was heard.

"Spyro, seriously!" Chihiro sputtered as she pushed against Spyro's wing, though it still did little to remove it from its position, "Lemme see what's going—"

Chihiro stopped short as the shing of metal paired with screaming was heard… Followed by utter silence aside from a loud _THUNK_.

§

Y'know, one would think that the dawn of a new era would feel more… Ceremonious, more epic, even. But, Chihiro felt nothing of the sort. She only felt a dizzy rush as she looked around the room, where cyclopes hauled away something in a gigantic black sack and cleaned what appeared to be blood off of a guillotine.

They seemed so peaceful, even though the king they had fought against was finally dead and peace had been instilled at last.

Or maybe her expectations were a little high, who knows. Everything she knew about this kind of stuff came from books and TV anyhow.

"Thank you, Skylanders!" Insider proclaimed as they ran up and shook Spyro's paw, "Thank to your help, peace has been restored to Crystal Eye Castletown once more!"

"Oh, it's nothing!" Spyro dismissed as he returned the rebel leader's shake, "This is just all in a day's work for us!"

"Nevertheless." Insider withdrew their hand and made a kind smile, "Now, we have a lot of work to do. The old king may be dead, but he left quite a legacy…"

Insider then gave Spyro a wink.

"Between the two of us, I think the monarchy's run its course—we've been talking about instilling a democratic election system!" Insider's eye widened as they spoke, "Oh, goodness, I almost forgot! Just stay right there for a moment, alright?"

As Insider left, Chihiro frowned and tilted her head.

"What were they in such a rush for?" Prism Break asked as he and Wrecking Ball rejoined Spyro and Chihiro.

"Beats me," Chihiro replied as she looked up at Prism Break and shrugged.

The sound of panting echoed around the tower as Insider came into view once more with none other than the Crystal Eye held firm in their grasp!

"This is for you," Insider said as they handed the Crystal Eye off to Spyro, "Consider it a token of our thanks."

Spyro and Chihiro gasped as they looked down at the Crystal Eye and then back up at each other.

"Thank you very much!" Spyro exclaimed as he looked back at Insider, "I can assure you, it'll be in good hands!"

"I'm sure it will!" Insider replied as they fixed their collar, "Now, the next time you fight Kaos's cronies, give him an extra kick in the rump for us!"

"You bet we will!" Chihiro exclaimed as she bounced up and down and punched the air, then spun around and headed towards a nearby door, "Bye now!"

"Goodbye!" Insider shouted as they waved at the group, "Be sure to tell Master Eon we said hello!"

"Can do!"

Chihiro smiled as Spyro, Wrecking Ball and Prism Break joined her outside, then watched as the wooden door slowly slid to a close. All was peaceful as the evening sun painted the world in striking shades of bold orange and cheerful yellow, a majestic sunset to end a day of pure, untamed revolution. Chihiro felt the best kind of feeling bubble up in her chest as she darted down a stone path and jumped about a foot in the air.

"WOO-HOO!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pumped her fist to the sun, "LIBERATING THE MASSES FEELS AWESOME!"

"It really does, Chihiro," Spyro remarked as he flew up to Chihiro's side and watched her come back down.

Chihiro made a giggle, then looked up at Spyro and beamed.

"And you know what?" Chihiro tilted her head, "I think I'm ready for my next exam now!"

"What are we waiting for, then?" Spyro flew ahead with the Crystal Eye still held tight, "Let's get back home!"

"Agreed!" Everybody else chimed in as they followed Spyro's lead.

And as everybody else made their way back to Ancient's Peak, the sun finally set on a new day in the age of the Crystal Eye Castletown. A day of excitement, of courage, of revolution and rebellion… But most importantly, a day that lead to Kaos's forces being shrunk once more.


	13. Chapter 13

**And here we are, with what is possibly the longest chapter of CHS to date! With over thirty thousands words, editing this one was a beast, let me tell you guys!**

**Watch Seeker: Honestly we're in the same boat regarding revisiting Spyro's adventure! Writing CHS has really made me go back and appreciate SSA a lot more! I haven't really played through the game in years since the console we had it for broke, so watching through vids for writing reference has made me rediscover my love for it! Also this is probably a bit belated, but I hope your cold's gotten better! Colds have been passing through in my area to and they've been quite a hassle...**

* * *

Somewhere in the more rural parts of Skylands, far from the watchful eyes of Kaos or the Skylanders or most anybody, really, there resided a humble village known as Stonetown. Stonetown's home island was not that different from the average island, really. It had an average layout, all grassy plains and rocky, firm cliffs painted against a backdrop of Skylands' trademark blue skies, all of which housed the normal villages. These villages weren't all that much different from the average village, either.

The buildings, from the many houses to the general store to even the trademark town hall, were your average wood-and-brick houses occupied by average mabu families that went about their average lives, completely oblivious to the world around them. Children went to school and played in the streets like normal children, adults went to work and rested by the fire after long days… Governors governed, shoppers shopped the day away…

And of course, the miners would mine in the Stonetown mines, perhaps the only particularly remarkable trait of Stonetown itself. Despite the chills of autumn finally setting in, Stonetown's miners were hard at work! Some swung their pickaxes into the colorful stone to retrieve gold and jewels and other kinds of minerals, other loaded spoils into rusty metal mine carts, and some just talked among themselves.

"Y'know, Dave," said one mabu man as he swung a pickax into a firm rocky pillar, "I think we're pretty lucky, living the way we do!"

"You really think so, Paul?" Said the mabu man that was presumably Dave as he loaded several crates of jewels into a mine cart, "I think it's kinda boring, to be honest,"—Dave heaved a worn sigh as he placed the empty crates to his side—"Every day, it's the same old routine! Ya wake up, eat, work, eat some more, watch the fire, go back to sleep, then ya do it all again! I'd kill for something new…"

"Well, it could be worse." Paul shrugged his shoulders for a spell then went back to swinging, "We could be one of those unlucky villages that got ransacked by Kaos's goons!"—Paul shuddered—"My cousin told me one of the ones near him was torn to bits!"

"Kaos? Come here?" Dave made a hearty laugh, "What would he want with boring old Stonetown? Rocks?"

Dave retrieved a stray pickax off the ground, then walked towards a nearby wall and began mining.

"'Cause that's all we've got around here!" With a mighty swing Dave slammed the pickaxe into the rocky walls of the mines…

Then dropped it and stumbled back as a bright, brown light shot out from the cracks he made in the wall.

"What's going on, Dave?" Paul asked as he walked up to Dave, "You look like you saw a ghost!"

Dave made no words in response, only a few sputtering noises as he pointed towards the cracked wall.

With a shrug, Paul turned his gaze back to the cracked wall, then gasped and stumbled back as part of the wall shattered like glass.

As the brown light grew more intense, Dave and Paul only stood in watched in sheer, frozen awe then turned tail and ran outside the mine.

"Somebody, contact the Skylanders!" Dave and Paul shouted in unison, "We've found something for them!"

§

All eyes were frozen on the Core of Light as the Crystal Eye sat firm at its top and emitted a striking laser beam that shone like the sun did as it hung in the slightly-cloudy autumn skies. Soft chatter and faint oohs and aahs were the soundtrack of the afternoon as everybody on the island all gazed in its glory.

"So, what happened, Spy?" Gill Grunt asked as he slammed a fin down on Spyro's shoulder, "I heard from Prism Break that the kingdom got taken over…"

"By Kaos's cronies, yeah," Spyro replied as he smiled and looked up at Gill Grunt, a moment of pause taken to remove Gill Grunt's fin from his shoulder, "But, it was no problem! We all took care of them like we did any other force of his!"

Spyro and Gill Grunt paused to bask in the Core of Light's unfinished glory once more, but soon enough Gill Grunt's eyes trailed to Spyro once more.

"Hey, Spyro, I've been meaning to ask…" Gill Grunt made a slight frown as he looked down at Spyro, "Have you been doin' alright lately, little buddy?"

"Uh, er, of course!" Spyro's pupils shrank just a bit as he cast an aside glance, an awkward smile plastered on his face, "Never better, why do you ask?"

"You seem like you've been working yourself a lot lately, that's all." Gill Grunt gently rubbed Spyro's head, "I hardly ever see you, what with all the missions you've been going on! It's like you never take a day's vacation!"

"… I'm fine, Gill, I swear." Spyro's smile soured into a frown, "Kaos doesn't rest, so I can't, either."

Gill Grunt opened his mouth to speak once more, but before he could Trigger Happy bolted forward and leaped onto Spyro's back.

"SPYRO, SPYRO, SPYRO!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he bounced up and down on Spyro's back, "WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT HAPPENED?! DID YOU FIGHT A BUNCH OF EVIL DUDES?! WERE THERE PUZZLES? BATTLE GATES?! EVIL SPACE ALIENS FROM BEYOND THE FOURTH STAR?!"

Spyro only chuckled as he retrieved Trigger Happy from his back and placed Trigger Happy on the ground.

"Well, I'll start from the beginning," Spyro said as he cleared his throat, "Well, it all started when we made our way to the gates of the kingdom…"

As Spyro recounted the story with the energy of a grizzled storyteller, the other Skylanders carefully crowded around Spyro with a kind of wonder. With every word, every breath Spyro spoke, their engagement grew more intense as if they themselves had been pulled into the mission alongside him!

"And I'll admit, if it weren't for Chihiro's help we might not've gotten past that riddlemaster!" Spyro looked over at the portal building and tilted his head, "Say, shouldn't her next exam be ending soon?…"

As if on cue, the door swung open and a familiar childlike figure draped in monochrome clothes twirled out the building. They then pointed a finger to the heavens with one finger while they held a paper in the other.

"GUESS WHO PASSED HER NEXT PORTAL MASTER EXAM?" Chihiro exclaimed as she skipped over and brandished the paper, which had a 100% marked on it in red marker, for all eyes to see, "If you guessed me, you're right~"

"That's great, Chihiro!" Spyro praised as he held up his paw, "Up top!"

"Up top!" Chihiro smiled as she gave Spyro a high five, then dropped the paper and hugged him tight, "Thanks a bunch, Golden Boy—I don't think I would've passed if you hadn't helped me study!"

"It's no problem, Chihiro." Spyro made a soft chuckle as he returned Chihiro's hug, a level of tension removed from his presence.

The other Skylanders cheered and called out words of congratulations as Spyro and Chihiro withdrew from their hug, then all eyes peered towards the Core of Light once more.

"It's so pretty!" Chihiro clasped her hands tight, "I think it looks perfect up there, don't you?"

CLUNK!

While everybody gazed over the Core of Light, something had crashed—literally—right into the designated landing area! Everybody else jumped, then turned around to see a familiar technologically enhanced balloon had seated itself on the landing area's stone platform…

"WHAT WAS THAT?! I HEARD A CRASH!" Hugo exclaimed as he bolted out of the portal building then turned to the landing area, "Oh, nevermind. It's Flynn."

Hugo sighed as the balloon's platform drew out. Once said platform was fully down, Flynn and passengers alike piled out in a dizzy haze.

"Flynn, next time," Cali panted as she shot a glare towards Flynn, "Please try not to crash into the landing area."

"Oh, Cali, that was no mere _crash_," Flynn replied as he strode forward and crossed his arms, a smug smile on his lips, "That was an elaborate landing technique for the ages, one that only a master pilot such as myself could pull off without a hitch!"

Cali only sighed and rolled her eyes, as did Chihiro, though Chihiro's eye roll was more playful than exasperated.

"Say, that reminds me," Chihiro remarked as she turned to Hugo, "So Huges, what's the next part we need for the Core?"

"Well…" Hugo said as he withdrew a book from his hood and skimmed through it, "According to the books…"

"SKYLANDERS!" Exclaimed an elderly-sounding voice as something pushed past Hugo and practically knocked him off of his feet, "I have great news!"

Hugo spun around in a circle, stumbled back to full balance, then adjusted his glasses and looked over his surprise assailant.

"… Diggs?" Hugo said with a tired squint.

Sure enough, right in front of them was Diggs, all wrinkly and frantic as ever. Or maybe he was ecstatic? It was kind of hard to tell.

"Diggs, what's the stitch?" Chihiro asked as she placed her hands on her hips, "I thought Flynn and Cali were taking you back to that village…"—Chihiro rubbed a hand against her chin—"What was it called? Rumbletown? Masonville?"

"STONETOWN!" Diggs corrected with an eager smile, "But I had to come back, because the people there have good news for you all! They made a great discovery in their mines!"—Diggs took a deep breath and cleared his throat—"The miners of Stonetown…"

"Have found the Eternal Earth Source!" Cali exclaimed as she ran to the crowd and pushed past Diggs, "And they're waiting for us to come collect it!"

"Finally, an easy one!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pumped a fist, her eyes alight with joy. After all the trouble they had gone through to collect the Core of Light's components, finally they'd get some well-deserved smooth sailing!

"I know, right?" Flynn added as he glanced towards Chihiro with one of his trademark goofy grins on his face, "This'll be a piece of CAKE! Mmm, cake…"

"I'd better get going before Kaos or those weird Skylander clones or other rando wannabe supervillain finds out!" Chihiro raced towards the balloon, "Hasta la vista, guys! I'm gonna—"

"You're going to hold it, is what you're going to do!" Hugo ordered as he grabbed the back of Chihiro's vest and pulled her back to the group, "Need I remind you that all those people you just listed are very much so active?"

"Eh, it'll be fine!" Chihiro waved her hand as a grin overtook her face, "I'm sure I could take them on if something goes wrong! Besides, how likely would it be that they found out?"

"You'd be surprised." Hugo let go of Chihiro and toyed with his hood, "Kaos has eyes everywhere, Chihiro. There's a good chance that in the moments we've spent talking, he's already dispatched his forces!"

"Hate to say it, Chi, but I'm with Hugo on this one," said another, tougher voice as somebody else pushed through the crowds—a muscular, black and gray anthropomorphic shark with white eyes and clusters of bright orange barnacles on their back, "Kaos and his buddies have been getting a lot busier lately! He's been putting us through the ringer all week!"

"Ah, I guess you have a point, Terrafin…" Chihiro admitted as she bounced her foot and looked up at Terrafin, "Alright then, who wants to come with?"

"You can count me in!" Terrafin smiled a sharp, fanged smile as he ruffled Chihiro's hair, "It's been a while since we've wiped the floor with Kaos's goons together!"

"Yeah!" Chihiro bounced up and punched the air, then looked over the rest of the crowd and hummed.

"Bash, Dino-Rang." Chihiro pointed to two other figures from within the crowd of Skylanders, "You guys wanna come too?"

"Eh, why not?" Asked a voice with a notable Australian accent as its owner passed through the crowd, "I've been meaning to find something to test those boomerang techniques I've been practicin' on!"

This figure was a stout, stocky, and very green anthropomorphic dinosaur with bright, orange eyes and large rows of bright red plates that ran from the top of their head down to their tail. They were dressed in brown stone armor, and in their rough, scaled hands they clutched a pair of well-loved stone boomerangs.

"Alright, Dino-Rang's good to go!" Chihiro proclaimed as she cast her gaze towards a bulky, brown dragon with red eyes whose body seemed to be made entirely of stone, "How about you, Bash?"

The dragon who was presumably Bash looked aside, then shrugged and walked forward.

"Well, looks like it's time for me to roll out the pain!" Bash proclaimed, his voice rough and rocky like gravel.

Terrafin and Dino-Rang, however, only gave Bash tired glances.

"Come on, guys!" Bash looked down as he twiddled his front paws together, "That was a good one, I swear!"

They all just playfully rolled their eyes, then Terrafin walked up to Bash and patted Bash on the back as he sulked.

"Now that we've got our lineup together," Flynn broke in as he walked forward and cracked his knuckles, "I'll go start 'er up!"

As Flynn said this, Terrafin froze up like a deer in the headlights.

"Actually, man, I think we can pass on the balloon ride," Terrafin said as he held up his hands, "I'm pretty sure a portal will get us there just fine!"

"Why not?" Flynn only grinned, completely oblivious to Terrafin's discomfort, "There's nothing to fear! I'm Skylands' greatest pilot, after all!"

"Afraid? I never said anything about being afraid!" Terrafin scoffed and crossed his arms, "But that balloon's not gonna fit all of us!"

"Yeah, Fin does have a point," Chihiro added, "It'll be a tight squeeze with all five of us going…"

"Six!" Diggs corrected as he waddled up to the others, "I've gotta lead you whippersnappers there!"

"Correction, six." Chihiro rolled her eyes, "With all six of us in there at once, it might get pretty crowded…"—Chihiro's eyes widened—"Unless I just portal you guys there and meet up with you later!"

Chihiro smiled and snapped her fingers.

"That sounds like a plan to me!"

Terrafin breathed a sigh of relief, then he, Bash and Dino-Rang hightailed it into the portal building with Chihiro in close pursuit. As they disappeared into the portal building's confines, Flynn frowned and shrugged.

"Wonder what his problem was…" Flynn remarked before he shook it off and headed towards his balloon, "Eh, probably just a bit intimidated! Can't blame the dude there, being with Skylands' best pilot can get _pre-tty _intense…"

§

Chihiro banged her head against the side of the basket as Flynn flew them through peaceful, serene, and utterly _boring _blue skies. She had a feeling that the trip to Stonetown would probably take a while, going off of how far away Diggs had said it was… But she didn't think it'd take _this _long! A part of her half-wished she could have convinced the 'Landers to come with her, given that they'd probably be good company right about now… But, what's done is done at this point, and all she could do was rest against the basket. She tried thumb wrestling with herself, but thumb wrestling wasn't quite as fun when you were the only challenger so she bobbed her head down. Maybe she could catch a few winks of sleep while she waited for their arrival.

Chihiro furled herself into a ball, then closed her eyes as her mind drifted away to places far away from the humble hot air balloon she was inside right now. All was peaceful until…

Diggs let out a vocal scream and latched onto the side of the basket!

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Chihiro shouted as she jumped out of her sleepy trance, "DID KAOS SHOW UP AFTER ALL SO I COULD KICK HIS SORRY BUTT?!"

"We're here!" Diggs exclaimed as he pointed a claw down below and shuddered, "But, the ground is shaking something terrible. I sense some _baaad_ vibrations here."

Chihiro walked over to Diggs' side and leaned herself over the basket to find that sure enough, he was right!

The infinite void of blue sky had parted to reveal a grassy terrain! It was accented with equally-grassy cliffs topped with walls and elaborate towers made entirely of tough-looking gray stone. But, that wasn't the most eye-catching part of the island! All around the island there were clusters of dots that vaguely resembled a crowd—guards sent to protect the Source?

"That's strange," Diggs said as he adjusted his glasses, "Last time I was here, there weren't half as many guards! Heck, there weren't any guards at all!"

"Maybe they wanted some extra protection, just in case?" Chihiro tilted her head, then squeaked and ducked as some vaguely gremlin-looking thing zipped over her head!

Once the air was clear and they had drawn closer, Chihiro had found that she was completely wrong.

There, soldiers of all species—trolls, drow, the spare gremlin or some odd monkey-gremlin-looking hybrid thingie—decked out in shiny armor duked it out with Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang down below! There was no mistaking it, these had to have been Kaos's soldiers!

"Looks like Hugo was right," Flynn said as he gripped the balloon's steering wheel tighter, "Big Head must've found out about the Eternal Earth Source!"

"Me and my big mouth," Chihiro lamented as she hung her head, then shook it and looked further over the battlefield.

Now that they had gotten closer, it kind of looked like the soldiers had… Cannons? Hopefully they only shot like, water or confetti or something and not—CRAP! CANNONBALLS!

Chihiro screamed and ducked as Flynn swerved out the way of a cannonball parade, then slunk down and held a hand over her rapidly-beating heart. Her breath was heavy as she collected herself… Only to scream again as Flynn continued to spin around and dodge the cannonballs!

"There's too many of these guys!" Flynn shouted as he spun his steering wheel, sweat poured down his forehead like rain, "Even with my piloting expertise, this is gonna be a closE CALLLLLLLLLLLL!"

With a loud crash, one of the cannonballs pushed past the basket and sent them spinning like a toy top! The basket they all sat in was a rapid storm as it violently flung itself to and fro in the midst of all the chaos without any single drop of care taken for those inside!

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Diggs screamed as he rolled out the basket and grasped its side as tightly as possible!

"Diggs!" Chihiro exclaimed as she rushed to Diggs' side and pulled him back in.

The two of them caught their collective breath while Flynn gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows in a way that for once, was kind of intimidating.

"Alrighty, I didn't wanna do this…" Flynn proclaimed as he clutched the steering wheel tight, "But you guys have left me no choice! It's time for the ATTACK PROTOCOL!"

Flynn flicked a switch on the balloon control panel, and in that very moment the outer panels of the basket opened up to reveal tons and tons of weapons! Missile launchers, cannons, laser blasters, sheep shooters… If you could name it, it was probably in that very array and waiting to fire!

As Chihiro and Diggs watched the show with wide, sparkly eyes, Flynn made a smirk.

"While you guys were off savin' Skylands…" Flynn brushed a hand against the basket's rim, "I've been workin' on some pretty impressive upgrades for old Balloony here! She's ready and rarin' to go!"

As Flynn said this, a gigantic, flashing red button emerged from the center of the steering wheel!

"BOOM!"

With that said, Flynn slammed the button and all the weaponry shot out at once! Clouds of smoke cast out from the browning battlefield as fleets of soldiers were blasted away and cannons were reduced to mere bits!

But, Kaos's forces were far from intimidated! They merely wheeled in larger, shinier cannons!

"You wanna play that game, huh?!" Flynn slammed another button and watched as his artillery refilled, then slammed the giant button once more, "DOUBLE BOOM!"

Chihiro watched in awe as the newly-refilled artillery ensemble blew the newer cannons to bits, but it was no use! The enemy soldiers just pulled out more!

"TRIPLE BOOM!"

And so, a tug-of-artillery-war ensued. The enemies would bring out their cannons, Flynn would refill his, and in response they'd only bring out bigger, more impressive cannons that would get blasted to bits in an endless cycle.

"QUADRUPLE BOOM!"  
"QUINTUPLE BOOM!"  
"ONE HUNDRED BOOMS!"

As the frantic power struggle caused the battle to grow from impressive to tiring, Chihiro yawned and leaned against the side of the basket, ready to fall asleep once more… Only to awaken and scramble back as a gigantic shadow was cast all over the island! Chihiro gulped as a ginormous cannon, one so big that it probably added a ton to the island's weight, loomed over them with a fairly intimidating aura!

"Alright, nothing to worry about!" Flynn said with a gulp and a button press, "My artillery's ready for…"—Flynn winced as the artillery only made a sad clicking noise—"… Anything?"

Chihiro, Diggs and Flynn all looked up at the cannon with completely wide eyes, everything around silent save for the fizzle of a burning fuse… Then the cannon shot a gigantic cannonball straight at the balloon's, well, balloon and exploded!

Not that Chihiro or anybody else noticed. They were too busy screaming and hanging on for their dear lives as the balloon crash-landed right into the ground! With a resonant sound of splintering wood, Chihiro coughed and crawled out of the wreckage. She looked up to see Terrafin, Dino-Rang and Bash as they looked down on her with slight concern and winced.

"Hey guys!" Chihiro said as she smiled and waved at them, "We made it!"

Before anybody could say anything else, however, a shing was heard as the soldiers whipped out their weapons in one direction—theirs!

"And it looks like we've got company!"

Chihiro cracked her knuckles, then dashed into the fray with Terrafin, Dino-Rang and Bash in close pursuit! The artillery may have stopped firing, but the real battle had just begun!

Terrafin was the first to strike out of the quartet. He dove underground before anybody on either side could even blink, his whole body completely masked by the churned, rich brown earth! The soldiers trailed to ground in some attempt to find him… But he found them first! Terrafin backflipped out of the ground, bodyslammed right into the small platoon of drow soldiers and sent them flying in all angles! While they got up and stumbled about, Terrafin slid forward and punched them straight into a nearby wall.

"Not bad for a warmup," Terrafin remarked as he dusted off his bulky hands and perked up as he heard terrified screams, as did those around him.

All eyes were fixed on the source of the screams, which was none other a trio of gremlin soldiers who ran down a hill with Bash in hot pursuit! As the soldiers ran down the hill, Bash curled himself into a ball and rolled down, the slope of the hill an amplifier for his natural speed. Bash was a bowling ball, the gremlins his pins as he rammed right into them and tossed them into the skies!

"STRIKE!" Bash proclaimed right as the soldiers dropped back down on their feet, "… Or not."

Bash turned around and watched the gremlin soldiers glare him down, but he didn't seem intimidated in the slightest. He only gently bopped his tail against the earth.

"You guys are tougher than you look." Bash made a toothy grin as he raised his tail, "Good thing I am, too!"

Bash slammed his tail right onto the ground and created an earthquake of awesomely seismic proportions! While everybody else shuddered and froze from the vibrations, Bash stood tall and firm as he slammed his tail once more and caused gigantic stone pillars to explode from the cracks!

These stone pillars manifested right under the gremlin soldiers, and before they could even blink they were sent flying out of everyone's view.

While the quakes receded, Bash and Terrafin took in their victories. But, while they did this, another gigantic battle unfolded.

Chihiro let out cries of war as she slashed through waves of soldiers with a magic-powered sword, her breath heavy and her legs shaken with exhaustion. But she wasn't going to give up, not at all! She raised her sword… And a decently-timed spear shot through the crowds and shattered it!

"Dang it," Chihiro panted as the shards rained down on her, now reduced to little more than faint magical dust, "I should really practice my swordfighting more…"

As Chihiro teleported out of her enemy circle and caught her breath, her brown eyes glazed over to Dino-Rang, who was still hard at work!

With a few flicks of his wrists, he shot out his boomerangs through clusters of enemy soldiers and whacked them straight in their guts. Those boomerangs must be a lot harder than they look! But, he still looked like he was in a pinch. The erratic, labored steps he took back and forth and his heavy breathing indicated he had done a lot already! But unfortunately, the massive swarm of enemies that surrounded him seemed raring to go…

"Guess that's my cue!" Chihiro shouted as she held out her hand, which now flared with cyan magic.

A bright cyan sphere of magic shot out of Chihiro's hands right as Dino-Rang's boomerangs flew off as well! The magic sphere dashed forward and phased straight through boomerangs, which in turn contaminated them with its cyan light.

The boomerangs shone even brighter as they spun in place, then in moments they enlarged themselves to maybe ten times their size and razed through the crowd of soldiers! Once the enemies fell to their backs, the boomerangs stopped in their tracks and flopped right onto the soldiers, just to be certain.

"Alright!" Chihiro raced up to everybody and gave them high-fives, then turned her attention to the broken pile that was once Flynn's balloon.

Flynn coughed as he pulled Diggs out of the wreckage, then stopped and stood up himself. With a wince he looked back at his balloon, bowed his head and put his hand over his heart.

"You had a good run, Balloony," Flynn said with an uncharacteristically somber tone, "Papa's proud of you."

Diggs frowned as well, then turned his attention back to Chihiro.

"This is as far as I can take you, I'm afraid. I haven't been here in months, ya see, everythig else's new as spring to me!" Diggs informed as he clasped his clawed hands tight, "The rest of the place is yours to explore."

"'Kay!" Chihiro shouted as she hopped off, then turned her attention back to the others, "C'mon guys, we've gotta find the Eternal Source!"

"One problem with that, Chi…" Dino-Rang said as he pointed a claw aside, "I kinda need my boomerangs back."

Chihiro cast a glance in that direction, and made a tomato red blush as she saw that Dino-Rang's boomerangs were indeed, still oversized and far too big to carry.

"I'll take care of that."

Chihiro snapped her fingers, and in response the boomerangs radiated with a cyan glow then shrunk back right to their normal size!

As Dino-Rang reclaimed his boomerangs, Chihiro frowned and hopped off to the gate.

A cursory glance showed that it had no visible locks or keys. Rather, it only had gigantic twin towers with bounce pads at their feet rather than a door or stairs.

So, Chihiro skipped over to the bounce pad and jumped right onto its squishy surface! With a resounding cheer she shot up into the skies, then fell down on its surface to find a statue with a floating eyeball hovered above it and an identical one on the tower across.

"Wait, I recognize these things!" Chihiro exclaimed before she turned around and looked down, "Hey guys, I have an idea!"

As Chihiro waved down at the Skylanders, they all looked back up at her.

"Get on top of that other tower!"

The trio looked at each other and shrugged, then walked over to the other tower. As they bounced onto its very top, their eyes fixed onto the second floating eye statue before them.

"On the count of three, blow these things up!" Chihiro turned back to the statue near her and readied her magic, "One… Two… Three!"

The sound of intense crashing was heard as both statues were shattered to bits, then the gate rumbled before it swiftly receded int the earth!

"Quick, before it rises!" Chihiro shouted as she teleported down to the open gate and ran through.

But as she ran, she couldn't help but get the feeling that she was being watched! Chihiro turned around and frowned, but all she saw was Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang as they ran behind her. Huh, must have been imagining things. So, she ran forwards through the path, the wind akin to faint cackling as she ran…

§

Terrafin hummed some kind of song that nobody was really sure actually was a song as they passed through the stony gates and over the hills. The slightly more modern walls and towers and strongholds had left them behind long ago, and the area from here on out seemed a bit more untamed. There were little signs of civilization, only vast plains, grassy cliffs and…

"Swamps?" Chihiro said as she tilted her head.

Sure enough, right in front of them were swamps! Well, oddly clean swamps, if they were swamps. The water that made up the area was a pristine aqua color and sparkled against the early afternoon light, lacked most signs of contamination and even had a few cute fish that swam in its depths! Islands dotted the swamp waters like flecks of ink from a leaky pen, all connected with simple wood and rope bridges that seemed kind of unstable. Hopefully they were stronger than they looked. Nevertheless, they all formed a pretty straightforward path towards a larger peninsula filled with grass and flowers.

And unless they liked swimming, those islands were their only option of travel.

Chihiro smiled as she bolted down and jumped onto the bridge that lead to the first island. She swung against the bridge and watched as it swung in tandem with her rhythm… But thankfully, didn't snap!

"The bridge should be safe, guys!" Chihiro proclaimed as she beckoned for the others to join her, "Come on!"

Terrafin and Dino-Rang joined her without hesitation, but Bash cringed and glanced from side to side before he warily tip-toed over to the bridge.

"Bash, is something wrong?" Chihiro tilted her head and frowned as Bash quickly passed her by, as if he REALLY did not want to be on that bridge right now.

Chihiro shrugged then followed him onto the first island, then hopped onto the next bridge and the island that followed. It was oddly peaceful as they walked, not a villain or bird or even an annoying chompy or two in sight. It was just them and the vast, vast swamps! Chihiro paused and breathed in the fresh air, only for something to bump into her and cause her to fall over!

"Oh, whoops!" Bash exclaimed as he made a chuckle and nudged Chihiro's head, "Didn't see you there, Chi!"

As Bash helped Chihiro up, Chihiro frowned and looked ahead. For some reason, the bridge ahead was blocked off by a barricades of rattling wooden barrels. Wait, hold on a second… Rattling wooden barrels? Chihiro's hands flared with magic as she trailed over to the barrels and tapped them. If there was one thing she had learned from her time in Skylands insofar, it was that rattling wooden barrels were never to be trusted, for nine times out of ten they usually contained…

"CHOMPIES!" Chihiro exclaimed as the barrels exploded and she jumped back!

Sure enough, seated within the wreckage that was once the barrels was none other than a collection of bright green chompies! There had to have been a little under a hundred of them!

"Geez, where does Kaos keep getting all these chompies, anyways?!" Chihiro made a scoff and rested her brightly-glowing hands on her hips, "Do they just grow like weeds or something?!"—Chihiro tapped a finger against her chin—"Actually, I wouldn't be too surprised if that was the case…"

Chihiro screamed as a Chompy rocketed forward and narrowly grazed her shoulder!

"Less talking, more fighting!" Terrafin exclaimed as he dove into the earth!

His fin the only thing visible, Terrafin sliced through the earth, then leaped from its loamy blanket with a punch! Terrafin smirked as he watched the chompies soar off of the island and helplessly plop into the swamp waters, then landed back on his feet and punched through the rest of the crowd.

But as he punched away, a gigantic leak sprung in the center of the island and spewed swamp water everywhere!

"Whoops." Terrafin grunted as he was splashed with water, then wiped off his head and grimaced.

As the leak slowly grew bigger and bigger, the sound of cracking was heard! A look down showed that the island itself had slowly started to split at the seams, complete with small bits drifting off of the whole!

"Crap!" Chihiro exclaimed as she rubbed her hands together, then thrust them forward to summon a gigantic cork made entirely of magic! Chihiro jumped up, slammed the cork into the leak then watched as the damage came to a trickle.

"Close one." Chihiro wiped sweat from her brow and shot a look at the others, "Alright, that should take care of things… Just nobody makes any more holes in the island or we'll go sinking like the Titanic!"

"What's a titanic?" Bash asked as he tilted his head.

"Earth thing, I'll explain later!" Chihiro teleported out the way of a flight of chompies, then blasted the chompies in the back with a magic sphere.

Bash shrugged, then yowled out as a chompy latched onto his tail. Bash growled and slammed his tail against the earth, which sent the chompy flying into the lake! He smiled as he watched it sink, only to duck his head as several more chompies soared over it.

Aside from him, Terrafin punched away chompies like they were no more than leafy punching bags—and yet, these chompies were a little more stubborn than their predecessors. These ones seemed to get up no matter how many times you punched them down!

Just then, a familiar pair of wooden boomerangs grazed through the crowds of chompies and tried to blow them away. But, it was no use! The chompies just bit onto the boomerangs! The boomerangs returned to Dino-Rang soon after, who only screamed and stumbled about as the chompies latched onto his muzzle.

"Let go, ya little—AUGH!" Dino-Rang yowled in pain as he yanked one stubborn chompy off of his face and tossed it into the lake… Only for about five more to jump onto him!

"Looks like they could use some help!" Bash remarked as he lifted up his front legs, "And I've got just the thing!"

Bash stomped onto the ground and sent an earth-shattering quake moving through the entire island they fought on! And if that wasn't enough to concern, gigantic stone statues shot up from the ground and tossed all the particularly stubborn chompies right into the deep! While the stone statues receded back into the unknown, Bash smiled quite contently... Then his eyes shot wide open as everyone heard a hiss. Followed by a second, a third, a fifth…

And soon enough, that sound of rushing water became the only noise heard as gigantic holes eclipsed the island! Water coated the grassy isle in a slimy, muddy coat while the island itself slowly creaked as if it was ready to keel over!

"Well, so much for not sinking like the Titanic," Chihiro remarked before she shook her head.

Chihiro bolted onto the bridge and raced towards the next island, then fell to her knees and caught her breath. As she held her heart, thundering footsteps pounded across the bridge! Chihiro looked up to see Terrafin, Dino-Rang and Bash race in pursuit… But a closer look showed that Bash was quite frantic!

His breath was heavier than the others as his eyes kept going back to the sinking island and he practically bowled over the others as he ran! It was like he was too scared to even think straight! As Terrafin and Dino-Rang caught up and leaped onto the island, Bash got ready to jump over and join them!

But as he got ready to leap, the bridge's rope started to furrow, then it snapped completely!

"Whoa, whoa!" Bash exclaimed as he scrambled up the broken bridge. Though he tried his best, but his best wasn't enough. Before he could even finish, the bridge dropped into the deep blue with Bash still on it!

"Bash!" Terrafin, Chihiro and Dino-Rang exclaimed at once.

Ever quick to react, Chihiro and Terrafin both dove into the swamps and started swimming. Though the water clouded their vision, Bash was still clearly visible as he sunk into the depths, bubbles flown from his muzzle. He flailed his legs and tail as he clearly tried to swim, but he was far too heavy—all he could do was sink like a stone!

Chihiro gritted her teeth as she and Terrafin darted forward, but Bash was sinking far too fast for them to catch up! Even at full speed, they were still too far to get him! So, Chihiro paused and narrowed her eyebrows, then clapped her hands. As they flared with cyan light that shone quite brilliantly against the deep blues, she clasped Terrafin's hand and watched as the blue light spread to their entire bodies! Terrafin dashed back down as Chihiro let go of his hand, his speed now five times faster than before! As the waters grew darker he disappeared under their cover… Then he swam back up with Bash over his shoulder! Chihiro winced as she saw Bash shudder, then supported Bash with her own grasp as they swam back up.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Dino-Rang frowned and clutched the edge of the island, his eyes trained on the swamp waters. Then, he leaned back as water erupted from the swamp!

While the water cascaded down, Bash shot out of the fountain and rolled onto the dry-ish land! As Bash hacked and coughed out clear swamp water, Chihiro and Terrafin climbed up onto the island and shook themselves off, frowns of concern on their faces.

"You alright, Bash?" Terrafin asked as he slammed a hand against Bash's back and watched Bash hack out a strand of seaweed.

"Yeah, I'm, I'm," Bash wheezed as he cleared his throat, "I'm fine. Being made of rock is good for a lot of things…"—Bash made a kinda sheepish grin—"But swimming isn't one of them. I just end up sinking like a rock."

"Thank goodness!" Chihiro exclaimed as she slammed forward and hugged Bash tight, "You really had me worried there!"

Bash chuckled as he coughed out the last of the water, then gently nuzzled Chihiro's head. For all his faults, Bash was a surprisingly resilient type. Not many people would come out of nearly drowning and still feel willing to make awful puns about their near-death experience. Chihiro smiled as she let go of Bash, then shook off her soaked head and scattered water droplets everywhere.

"If that's been taken care of, let's get going!"

The four of them passed through the next couple bridges with odd peace, not a single surprise in sight—just islands and bridges and more islands and bridges… Well, and the faint rumbling that resonated from the horizon ever so often.

"Do you guys hear that?" Bash asked as he nudged Terrafin's broad shoulder.

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Terrafin remarked, "Think it's a quake?"

"An earthquake? In a swamp?" Chihiro added as she turned around, "Is that even possible?"

"Aye, mates!" Dino-Rang exclaimed as he pointed ahead, "Look over there!"

They all followed Dino-Rang gazed and frowned.

There over the horizon, something black and round rolled further and further… Then finally, it leaped off of a cliff and slammed straight into the ground, which left a notable crater in the earth and kicked dust up everywhere! Rocky laughter resounded as everyone coughed.

When the dust cleared, everyone looked up and gasped! That object was no object—it was actually a person! Well, a dragon, actually, but that was a living being nonetheless. This dragon looked completely identical to Bash, save for the fact that its eyes were a blank, milky white and its scales were a deep purple and pulsated with the occasional vein of brown magic.

"I don't understand why the others couldn't just distract you oafs themselves…" The dragon said with a smirk, "But we'll let bygones be bygones."

"Great, more of Kaos's cronies," Chihiro scoffed as she set her fists alight, "Hope you're ready to lose!"

While the others put up their arms and got ready to fight, the Bash clone said no words. Instead, it smirked and raised its tail to the skies

"Lose? The Evil Rock Dragon?" The Evil Rock Dragon echoed with a scoff, "I don't think so!"

With that said, the Evil Rock Dragon slamming its tail against the island's surface!

"Hope you brought your pillows," The Evil Rock Dragon shouted as it continued to slam its tail against the island, "Because you're sleeping with the fishes!"

With another slam of its tail, the Evil Rock Dragon sent a fissure through the entire island that shook Chihiro and the Skylanders to their very cores! It was so great, so intense, that they could barely stand as the fissures continued to rip through the island! Chihiro lifted up her head, then grunted and grabbed hold of the ground. With a quick closing of her eyes, she disappeared and reappeared just inches away from where the Evil Rock Dragon stood!

"That's enough of that, you walking cinder block!" Chihiro exclaimed as she wrapped herself tight around its tail, only for it to fling her right off!

Chihiro screamed as she was sent hurtling through the air, then grunted as Terrafin leaped up and caught her!

"Nice catch!" Chihiro chirped as she gave Terrafin a thumbs up.

Terrafin smirked as he dropped back onto the island, then both of them fell flat on their faces as the fissures grew more intense. Despite the intensity, Chihiro held out her hand and shot out a bubble made of magic, only for the bubble to immediately pop due to the intense vibrations!

"Aww, c'mon!" Chihiro groaned before she fell to her knees once more.

Terrafin growled between his fangs as he tried to pull himself to the feet, but it seems like the quakes were too great ever for him—he could barely stand for a second before he fell to his knees once more!

Dino-Rang, meanwhile, grabbed his boomerangs and threw them right at the Evil Rock Dragon!

Despite all the quakes and chaos, the boomerangs soared right at the Rock Dragon. But, they still couldn't make contact, for a conveniently-timed boulder to deflect them back at Dino-Rang and conk him in the head! Dino-Rang groaned and shook his head, then reclaimed his boomerangs and shot them again.

Ever diligent, Chihiro followed as she shot off sphere after magic sphere at the Evil Rock Dragon, but even their combined battalion of attacks did little in the way of damage! Everything they threw was either deflected away by island debris or stopped mid-transit by the intense quakes!

Terrafin grunted as he dug his claws into the ground, then looked behind as a lurching sound croaked out.

"Uh, guys," Terrafin shouted as water splashed his feet, "You might wanna hurry this up, or we'll be sharkbait!"

Chihiro and Dino-Rang both looked down to the island and grimaced, because sure enough Terrafin was right!

Slowly but surely, the cracks in the island had begun leaking swamp water onto its surface! And worse yet, it was accumulating quite fast. If something wasn't done soon, it would probably completely sink any time now!

"Crap!" Chihiro exclaimed as she scrambled to avoid the pooling water underneath her.

Bash grunted as he took a step further. Then another one, then a third, his movements surprisingly fast in light of all the intense vibrations! He must have noticed this as well, judging by the look of awe in his eyes as he looked down at his feet.

"Guys, go on ahead!" Bash exclaimed as he looked back at the others, "I'll take care of this rockhead!"

"You sure, Bash?" Chihiro asked as she looked up at Bash, a slight frown and knitted eyebrows on her face.

Bash only nodded, then curled up into a ball, rolled forward and slammed straight into the Evil Rock Dragon! It was so sudden, the Evil Rock Dragon didn't see Bash coming and flew right onto the bridge!

"Ughhhh…" The Evil Rock Dragon mumbled as it stumbled to its feet, "Did someone get the number on that balloon?"

Bash rammed right into the Evil Rock Dragon once more, which sent it flying back onto the island! This time, however, it was faster to recover! it merely shook its head, curled up and smacked Bash sideways!

Chihiro, Terrafin and Dino-Rang all watched this for mere moments, then nodded to each other and ran across the bridge. Once they were safely stationed on the other, decidedly not waterlogged side, the peered across to Bash and the Evil Rock Dragon's brawl.

The sinking island tipped left and right as they swerved all around, chased each other and smacked each other silly! It… Kind of looked like a rocky game of pinball, to be honest.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed as it ground against Bash.

"Stopping you, that's what!" Bash shouted back as he dug further against the Evil Rock Dragon.

"Stop me? Hah!" The Evil Rock Dragon spun even further into Bash, "You'll only end up sinking into the deep!"

As the Evil Rock Dragon spun faster, the cracking sound underneath grew more intense, while the cracks themselves grew larger and wetter!

Bash grimaced as he cast a glance down at the ground below, then spun out the way and unfurled himself.

"I gotta… Finish this up…" Bash panted as he looked towards the Evil Rock Dragon, "But how?"

Bash contemplated for a few seconds, then looked up as a loud rumbling echoed around the isle—the sound of the Evil Rock Dragon barreling towards him! Bash jumped out of the way as the Evil Rock Dragon bowled forward.

The Evil Rock Dragon screeched to a stop as it hit the island's watery edge, then unfurled itself and panted for a few moments. Its breath recovered, it glared down Bash and rolled towards him once more!

But this time, Bash was more than prepared! As it grew close enough to him, he merely smacked it full-force with his tail and sent it soaring!

"I'll be backkkkkkkkkkkkk!" The Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed as it flew into the distance.

Bash smiled for a few moments as he watched the Evil Rock Dragon disappear over the horizon, only to stumble backwards as the island started to tip over! With a sharp gasp, he scrambled his way up to the island's tip, his eyes small and his teeth clenched. If it was possible for him, surely he would've been sweating buckets by now.

While he finally gripped onto the top of the island, the others raced across the bridge and leaned other in order to grab him… Only for the island to lurch backwards! They all screamed as they dung their fingers into the island and latched on as tight as they could!

Bash did the same as well, but his grip slipped and sent him tumbling backwards! Just as Bash closed his eyes and likely braced for the end, he completely stopped falling! Bash made a confused noise as he looked up, then smiled wide!

"Dino-Rang!" Bash called as his eyes glittered.

"C'mon, just a little further!" Dino-Rang grunted as he pulled Bash up the island.

However, Bash was quite heavy, so heavy that even Dino-Rang had started to lose his grip! Dino-Rang grunted as he kept trying to pull Bash up, then toppled over and sent them both falling!

Luckily for them, Terrafin was quick to react! He slid down and grabbed Dino-Rang's hand tight, then smiled as Chihiro grabbed onto his own.

"Hang on guys," Chihiro panted as she looked over her shoulder, "This is gonna be one heck of a riiiIIIIDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEE—"

Right as Chihiro spoke, the island lurched over, then flopped down onto the lake with a gigantic SPLASH that coated the surroundings in swamp water!

As the island sunk further and further into the depths of the swamp, a small glimmer of light manifested on the peninsula. That glimmer of light grew brighter and brighter by the second, until it was about the size of a small boulder and had slowly shaped itself into some kind of vague shape… Then finally, the light faded to reveal that Chihiro, Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang had teleported onto the peninsula's grounds!

"Heh… Hah…" Chihiro panted as she wiped sweat from her brow and made a weak smile, "Is… Is everybody alright? Say 'aye' if you're alive!"

The other three stumbled in a dizzy haze and collapsed into a pile, but nevertheless, they still all gave Chihiro thumbs up.

"Aye," responded their three tired voices in between caught breaths.

Everybody regained their balance and jumped to their feet, then slowly broke in smiles and laughter.

Chihiro gave them a slightly confused glance at first, tiny frown and raised eyebrows and all. But finally, she herself broke into laughter and wrapped the other three in a tight hug.

"Man, I really cut that one close!" Chihiro laughed as she let go and pointed towards the lake, "Whatever, something tells me rocky boy over there's gonna be out of our hair for a while."

They all smiled, then nodded and made their way to the peninsula's open pathway…

§

The peninsula's surroundings and rocky plains all slowly, but surely blended into one as Chihiro and the Skylanders traveled forth. Everywhere they looked, there was nothing but grass, cliffsides, rocks… And some very strange rock statues. They were all stationed in neat rows, their appearance completely identical—heads with legs and odd-looking faces, all carefully constructed from bleached white stone. They looked so crude and dull, it was almost unnerving.

"There sure are a lot of statues here…" Dino-Rang remarked as he examined one of the strange rock statues with a chin on his hand.

"No kidding!" Chihiro said as she giggled and patted one, "They sure are funny-looking, though!"

Chihiro jumped towards another statue and rattled its head, then moved to another as she picked up its legs and made it dance. Her giggles echoed across the valley as she toyed and teased the statues in all sorts of ways… But while she did this, she was completely oblivious to how the statues trembled and shook.

However, Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang were quick to notice!

"Chihiro!" Dino-Rang called with a frown, "You might wanna stop messin' with those things!"

"Why?" Chihiro looked up from knocking on the head of one trembling statue.

Just then, the statue Chihiro had toyed with rumbled and spewed out lava from its gaping mouth! Chihiro screamed and jumped back as the lava trailed down the hills, then slunk down and caught her breath. As she panted, however, even more statues start pouring out lava out of nowhere!

"What the heck?!" Chihiro jumped to her feet and looked all around, "Where's Eruptor when you need him?!"

Chihiro yelped as the lava drew a few inches too close, then teleported back to the Skylanders' side. Not that it did her any good, anyways, because all the lava from the statues had converged into one, gigantic river of magma! Soon enough, their tiny circle was one of the few places safe from it, but with how fast the magma was coming it wouldn't be for long!

As they squeezed in closer, Chihiro flung her hands in front of her person and crafted a bubble shield around the four of them! But, the heat was so intense, it caused the shield to crack immediately! Chihiro winced, pressed her hands against the shield, then watched as the cracks sealed back up. Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief as she fell down and panted.

"Is it just me," Chihiro remarked as she tugged on her collar, "Or are you guys getting hot too?"

"Yeah, it's not just you, Chi," Terrafin winced as he watched the shield, "That shield's getting pretty hot under the collar!"

Chihiro winced as a flash of red light cast itself over her, complete with much more intense heat than before. As the heat beat down, she turned back to her shield—which was now completely red and cracked!

"Yikes! Better fix that!" Chihiro ran towards the shield and placed her hands on it, only to yowl and leap back, "Dang, that's hot!"

Chihiro grimaced, then held her red hot hands out. As she exerted every bit of magic within her to cast beams of energy out at the shield, sweat rained down her face and she panted heavily. Clearly, this heat affected her just as much as it did the shield!

And the same was true of Terrafin, Dino-Rang and Bash, who all panted and held their heads. As they tried to collect themselves, however, they heard a thunk and turned their attention back to a shuddering Chihiro!

It was hard to tell if it was the shield's lighting or the heat, but Chihiro's face was red as a cherry! And worse yet, she was shaking something fierce, her legs practically jelly as she forced herself to keep the shield up, then finally fainted.

"Chihiro!" Terrafin called as he ran over and caught her before she hit the ground.

Terrafin knelt down as Dino-Rang walked over and examined Chihiro. But as they did, intense cracking noises popped out and caused them to look up at the shield.

Though Chihiro had done well to repair it, the cracks were still there—and they'd only get more intense if they stayed among all this magma!

"Time to get this ball rolling!" Bash exclaimed as he clenched his teeth and bent down. He then curled up and rolled straight into the side of the shield!

The impact from his attack completely dislodged the bubble shield from the ground and sent it rolling all the way down the magma river! Everybody screamed as Bash rolled the shield all the way down the magma river, which intermingled with the heat-induced screeches the shield made to perform a symphony of terror! The screaming only continued as the shield rolled right off a cliff, leaped into the air…

Then finally shattered as it slammed straight on the top of a watchtower! It was a good thing it had a nice, flat platform, or otherwise they might've been done for! The cool autumn air was for once a welcome change as the heat subsided and everybody faceplanted.

"Everyone alive?…" Chihiro groaned as she sat up and rubbed her head.

Everybody else just groaned.

"Geez, that was one rough landing…" Chihiro bit her lip, "Did I hit something?"

Chihiro stood up, looked down and found that she was right! There below her was a simple, golden key! Chihiro hummed as she lifted it from the ground and watched it sparkle in the afternoon light.

"Why would somebody just leave a key lying around?" Chihiro shrugged as she put it away in her pocket, "Whatever, finders keepers."

Once everybody had collected themselves, the four of them walked down the watchtower's spiraling staircase, which lead to a humble, largely untouched dirt road. With nowhere else to go, they followed the road down. The autumn breeze cooled them down as they walked in silence, then stopped short as they caught sight of a gate not that far ahead!

"Oh, that's why!" Chihiro exclaimed as her eyes widened. She then retrieved the key from her pocket and beamed!

Chihiro rushed up to the gate, then plunged the key into the lock and turned it open.

"Kinda wonder why someone would just conveniently drop that nearby." Chihiro pushed the door open, "But whatever!"

As the gate swung open, the path beneath them changed from dusty dirt to carefully crafted stone floors! Those floors revealed a stone fortress of some kind, filled with wooden barrels, tall stone walls and pathways that changed from stone to dirt once more. But at the front of the furthest wall was the most interesting sight—a gate with three locks, all of which already had their keys inserted and a sign that read "To Stonetown!"

"Lucky!" Chihiro rushed forward, grasped her hand around the first key, then turned it in a slow, almost dramatic manner.

"Something about this doesn't feel right, guys…" Bash remarked with a frown as he watched Chihiro open the gate.

"What doesn't feel right, Bash?" Terrafin asked as he looked down at Bash.

"It feels a little too easy…" Bash zeroed his gaze in on the gate, "Why would those keys just be conveniently in the locks already?"—Bash then turned his gaze towards the many barrels that surrounded them—"And what's with all these barrels? Why would there be so many in one place?"

Chihiro turned the second key in a similar slow manner and reached for the third, only for something to push her back! Chihiro screamed as she fell to the ground, then gasped as she sound of laughter echoed through the realm. As a shadow cast over her, she shook her head and looked up to find…

An evil clone of Terrafin, all purple and brown and mean all over, with the keys spun around its finger!

"You!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and pointed at the Evil Terrafin clone.

"Me!" The Evil Terrafin clone replied as it smiled and pointed to itself.

Chihiro shoved herself in its face, but it quickly pushed her back before she could even move further. However, Chihiro only grunted and stood her ground.

"Give us back those keys!" Chihiro shook her fist at the evil Terrafin clone, her eyes narrowed.

"Why should I?" The evil Terrafin clone raised an eyebrow, "Cause you'll cry if I don't?"

"Nah…" Terrafin interrupted as he shook his head and cracked his knuckles, "We'll just fight you for them!"

"Yeah!" Bash and Dino-Rang added as they followed Terrafin forwards.

"Four against one? That's hardly fair…" The Terrafin clone remarked as it looked up above, "Seems like I should level the playing field!"

The evil Terrafin whistled, then trained its gaze towards the clear skies! As a shadow dropped down from nowhere, it stepped back right as the shadow's owner crashed to the ground.

"Evil Dirt Shark!" The first person, which was a purple and brown doppelganger of Prism Break, called as it knelt down before the Evil Dirt Shark, "You called?"

While the Prism Break clone knelt, another shadow barreled into the ground, then shook its head and stood up.

"You better have a good reason for this, Evil Dirt Shark!" The Evil Rock Dragon snarled.

"You?!" Bash exclaimed as he caught sight of the Evil Rock Dragon, "How'd you get back here?!"

"You really think one little flight was gonna stop me?" The Evil Rock Dragon glared down Bash in response.

"Evil Rock Dragon, Evil Crystal Golem!" The Evil Dirt Shark called as it tossed a key to the other two.

The two of them turned around, caught their keys immediately then turned their attention back to the Evil Dirt Shark.

"Take those keys somewhere where the Skylanders can't find them, right now!"

As the two of them nodded and ran off, the Evil Dirt Shark dove underground and swam away!

"You! You!" Chihiro exclaimed as she chased after the Evil Dirt Shark, her cheeks puffed like a squirrel's as she shook her fist, "Get back here and face me like a shark!"

Terrafin lunged forward and got ready to chase after Chihiro, but the moment he took a step forward the whole area began to rumble. As he stopped, Terrafin looked behind to see that all those barrels were… Shaking?

"That can't be good," Terrafin remarked.

And Terrafin was right! The barrels all exploded in unison and forced the others to take cover! As they narrowly dodged a showed of splintered wood, a chorus of gnashing teeth and incoherent gremlin noises shouted out around the area.

The four of them all looked up as the shower cleared, only to find an army of blue chompy-looking things before them

"I had a feeling those barrels were a bad thing," Bash remarked as he held his head, "Crunchers, of all the things…"

"Crunchers?" Chihiro asked as she tilted her head.

"They're like chompies…" Bash winced as he looked up at the cruncher army, which looked about ready to pounce, "But way worse!"

The crunchers growled and barked as they jumped after Chihiro and the Skylanders, who were just as quick to launch themselves into the fray!

Dino-Rang was the first to jump into battle as he tossed his boomerangs at the crunchers… But the crunchers only latched onto the boomerangs as they returned to Dino-Rang's side! Dino-Rang grimaced as they flew over to him and bit onto his snout!

"Not again!" Dino-Rang exclaimed as he tried to pull the crunchers off of his snout, "Get off'a me, ya little weeds!"

Just then, right as Dino-Rang fruitlessly tried to pull the crunchers off of him, a gigantic rock crashed nearby and created such a blast it blew the crunchers straight off! Dino-Rang blinked, then looked behind to see Bash frantically smash through rock pillar after pillar!

In Bash's defense, his rock assault DID knock the crunchers away… But in the heavy rain of rocks and boulders, there was no discernment between friend and foe!

"Watch where you're swinging that thing, Bash!" Terrafin exclaimed as he narrowly dodged a giant boulder.

As Terrafin jumped away from the crash site of another large boulder, Bash looked over and cringed.

"Heh, sorry guys," Bash remarked as he looked towards Terrafin, only for his eyes to widen as he leaped a foot in the air, "OWCH!"

As Bash landed, he turned around to see that several crunchers had latched onto his tail! He frantically stomped about and shook his tail as fast as he could, but those crunchers had latched on tight. There was no shaking them!

"Get them off me!" Bash shouted as he continued to jump around, "Get them off me!"

Chihiro caught sight of this, then teleported over and latched onto Bash's tail. She tried to yank the crunchers off herself, but their grip was far too strong for her own! Instead of shaking them, she ended up getting shaken as well!

"Whoa, oah!" Chihiro exclaimed as she was flailed up and down, "Bash! Stop, You're making me dizzy!"

As Terrafin punched away a few crunchers, he looked over to see Bash and Chihiro still screaming and unsuccessfully trying to drive away crunchers.

"Looks like they could use a hand," Terrafin remarked as he cracked his knuckles, "Or a fist!"

So, he dove underground and tunnel over to Bash and Chihiro's side.

Chihiro, meanwhile, grunted as she reached out her hand and tried to pull a nearby cruncher off… Only to pop right off of Bash's tail as something slammed right into the ground! Chihiro winced as she fell on her back, then pulled herself up and beamed!

There before her was none other than Terrafin, who had pulled himself up from what appeared to be a bodyslam. At least, judging by the Terrafin-sized imprint in the ground, anyways.

And for that matter, Chihiro wasn't the only thing that had been shaken! The various crunchers that had latched onto Bash's tail had all fallen off and stumbled around, barely able to keep their footing. Now was her chance! Chihiro held out her hand and shot out a pulsating wave of magic! That wave of magic enveloped the crunchers as they looked about in confusion, only to shock them so badly that they were left completely fried! Smoke emitted from their bodies as they whimpered and passed out.

"Thanks for that, Fin," Bash said as he rubbed his tail, which was now red and sore.

"No prob, Bash!" Terrafin replied as he walked over and playfully smacked Bash on the back.

The crunchers all looked around at the chaos the battle had brought, then huddled together into one big, blue blob. From up close, it kind of looked like they were… Whispering to each other?

"Wha'dya think they're doing?" Chihiro asked as she examined the crunchers, "Are they planning something?"

"Nah, there's not smart enough for that, Chi!" Terrafin said as he patted Chihiro's shoulder.

"You got that right!" Chihiro giggled and held a hand to her mouth, "I bet they have weeds for brains!"

"As if they have any brains at all!"

Terrafin and Chihiro both laughed, but it seems the crunchers didn't find their smart remarks so funny. Instead of laughing, they all twitched and turned to the quartet with bared teeth and low growls! Terrafin and Chihiro both cut short their laughter as they all stared down each other in one big stalemate. It was a moment of tense peace, with both parties in anticipation of the others' next move…

Then finally, the crunches huddled together and stacked on top of each other until they had created one gigantic wave! It was as tall as the fortress they fought in, and worse yet, it was coming in fast!

"Crap!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped into action and crafted a shield around her group.

But as the crunchers rained down, her shield started to crack under the pressure, literally!

Chihiro squeaked as white cracks formed in its surface, then held out her hands and watched them vanish.

Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin watched Chihiro hold up the shield for moments, then shuffled together.

"We gotta do something about those crunchers…" Terrafin whispered as he cast the cruncher wave a glance, "But what?"

"Those pillars worked pretty well the last time…" Bash whispered back as he followed Terrafin's gaze, "Maybe we should use those!"

"Yeah, and with my stone traps it'll be a piece of cake!" Dino-Rang added as he slammed a scaly fist against his palm.

"That does sound pretty good…" Terrafin remarked with a nod, "But I have a better idea!"

The three of them discussed their ideas in hushed whispers far too low to be heard, then finally broke away and nodded.

"Chi," Terrafin called as he walked up and tapped Chihiro's shoulder, "Drop the shield!"

"But, why?" Chihiro asked as she turned to Terrafin and back up at the shield, "There's no way we can tackle all these things at once!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Terrafin winked and smile, "Cause we've got a plan!"

Chihiro took one look at Terrafin, then at Bash and Dino-Rang in the background. With an understanding nod, Chihiro let go of the shield and watched her hands' light flicker out.

As the shield began to flicker in unison, Terrafin dove underground and tunneled at a massive speed! His speed was so great, in fact, the ground around began to shake and crack so badly that the cruncher wave completely dissipated!

Chihiro shuddered as the quake struck, then teleported to the safety of a nearby rooftop and watched the battle unfold.

While the crunchers stumbled about, dazed and confused from the shock of Terrafin's little swim, Terrafin popped out of the ground! He looked over the cracks that had now formed in the ground, then signaled towards Bash.

Bash, in response, slammed his tail into the ground and watched the cracks enlarge.

"Dino-Rang, now!" Bash exclaimed as he turned back to Dino-Rang.

Dino-Rang nodded, then slammed his fists onto the ground and sent dozens of stone traps shooting out from the fissures! And with every one that was sent out, dozens of crunchers were sent flying away!

Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin were more than content to watch as the mostly-unconscious crunchers rained from above… But when the earth started to rumble and the cracks grew wider, well, they were definitely singing a different tune as they scurried to safety!

"Guess it's my turn!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pressed her hand against the rooftop and teleported away.

Chihiro popped back down, then held out her glowing hands. As she held them, magic sprung from her palms and flew into the fissures, which caused them to glow a bright blue, but only for a few seconds before the magic faded out entirely.

"Guess I'll need a little backup!" Chihiro clenched her teeth and clapped her hands.  
As she clapped them, a bunch of magical glue bottles manifested out of thin air! Once there was enough to nearly blot out the sky, Chihiro clapped once more and watched as they grew to a giant's size!

"Glue bottles…" Chihiro pointed towards the growing fissures, "Seal up these cracks!"

The glue bottles bowed as if they were nodding, then immediately went to work as they glued the fissures back together with magic! Soon enough, the magic glue had sealed the area back in place, and in the process completely coated the crunchers in a sticky prison!

The crunchers struggled and struggled, but it was no use! They were completely trapped!

Chihiro smirked as she rested her hands on her hips and watched the glue bottles disappeared, then turned her attention back to Bash, Terrafin and Dino-Rang.

"That was awesome, guys!" Chihiro exclaimed as her smirk turned to a genuine smile, "Up top!"

Cheers erupted all around as Chihiro high-fived the others, then died as soon as they looked at the gate. Even though that was taken care of, there was still the issue of finding that keys and getting past that gate.

"Looks like we've still gotta find those keys, don't we?" Chihiro sighed and hung her head, then shook it as she turned back to the others.

Their gaze trailed to the gate's sides, where two paths resided. Both went from stone to dirt, but while the leftmost was wide open and covered in grass and flowers, the other was more cavern-like with its cobweb decorations and black depths. Two paths, four people… Guess the decision to make here was obvious.

"Bash, DR, you guys take that grassy path. Fin and I will check out the crypt!" Chihiro let go of the huddle and stood tall, "Got it?"

"Got it!" The other three proclaimed as they split into their respective groups and began to part ways.

"Good luck, guys!" Chihiro exclaimed as she waved back at Bash and Dino-Rang.

§

Birds flew en masse out of the nearby trees as screams echoed from the valley, only amplified by the vast nothingness that its plains provided. The birds weren't the only thing that flew, however. If one were to look closely in the distance, the silhouettes of what seemed to be two people in bulky armor soared against the vast blue…

Bash smiled as he rolled back and unfurled himself, his eyes trained on the objective—the stone gates of what appeared to be a gigantic fortress, all flanked by two remaining guards. The guards narrowed their eyes as they held their shiny spears tight, but that was of no matter to Bash. His skin was far too hard for them to even dent it to begin with! So, he got ready to curl up…

"Incoming!" Dino-Rang exclaimed from beside Bash.

Right before Bash could make his move, a familiar pair of boomerangs soared over his head and slammed the guards right into the walls of the very fortress they were trying to protect!

As the guards groaned and slunk down, the boomerangs flew back into the scaly green hands of Dino-Rang, who blew them off like they were smoking guns.

The two of them watched the guards with a wary kind of intentness, then finally Bash walked up to them and gently prodded their heads to gain no response in return. Yep, these guards were definitely out for the count!

"Nice one, Dino-Rang!" Bash cheered as he gently batted Dino-Rang's shoulder with the mace of his tail.

"Ah, it's nothin', mate!" Dino-Rang brushed away Bash's tail, a slight smile on his face, "These kinda techniques are stuff they'd teach ya as soon as yer old enough to hold a 'rang where I'm from!"

"Still cool, though." Bash smiled and furled himself into a ball, then rolled into the open gates of the fortress.

Even though it paled in comparison to flying, Bash loved the freedom that came with rolling through the plains as the breeze dusted your scales with its gentle kisses… Then he slammed into a wall. Ouch. Bash groaned as he rolled back and popped open, then shook his head and looked up.

There before him was a gigantic beaten pathway made out of a large cliff face, except a good chunk of its sections had been hollowed out. Beside these broken segments were none other than massive stone blocks. These stone blocks were big enough to easily fit into the various gaps in the pathway, but they did look quite heavy. Good thing Bash was as tough as a rock!

Bash only walked forward, then pressed his head against the first block in front of him. Then pressed the entire side of his body when that didn't work. And then slammed it with his tail. But even so, the block itself only pressed forward a few inches! Bash stopped and heaved his breath, but he wasn't going to give up just yet! He backed up and charged forward, then slammed his head straight into the block and watched it slide right into the spot it was meant for. Bash stepped forwards, a moment taken to rub the dust off of his snout, then walked through the path…

Only to find yet another massive stone block. With a sigh, he stepped back and got ready to charge it…

"Hey, Bash!" Dino-Rang called as he stepped to Bash's side, "Blimey, that's one big rock…"—Dino-Rang paused and looked down at Bash—"What're ya doin'?"

"Trying to charge into it to push it in?" Bash looked up at Dino-Rang and paused.

"Or we could just push it together?"

Dino-Rang walked up to the stone block, then pushed against it with all his might!

Bash shrugged, then walked up to the block and pushed against it as well. With a loud groan the stone laboriously slid against the earth, then finally slid straight into the hole! And with half the pain of slamming his face full-force into it, too! Bash smiled, then he and Dino-Rang looked at each other and nodded before proceeding.

"You know, Rang, I've always wondered…" Bash remarked as they climbed up the way, "What was your old homeland like?"

"My old home?" Dino-Rang repeated with maybe a bit of surprise, before he made a small chuckle and looked out at the vast plains, "Well… It was a lot like this old place, to be honest!"

"Really?" Bash pressed himself against another cinder block that masked the way ahead.

"You bet'cha!" Dino-Rang pushed as well, then watched as the block slid into the slot ahead, "Lots of dunes and grassy plains whereva ya looked, tons of wild animals as far as the eye could see, clear skies all day…"—Dino-Rang smiled as he watched Bash hop onto the cinder block—"Why, I'd go so far to say it was a regular paradise!"

"It sounds really nice!" Bash smiled and wagged his tail, "Like the perfect place to roll around…"

"Ya certainly could've!" Dino-Rang and Bash walked ahead, their footsteps brisk and almost kind of relaxed, "Never did much rollin', though. I always spent my time huntin' or practicin' with my 'rangs!"

Dino-Rang flicked one of his boomerangs ahead, then watched it fly back and caught it without even flinching.

"As you ken see, it really paid off!" Dino-Rang smiled as he rubbed his thumb against his boomerang, a sense of loneliness in his orange eyes.

Bash couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Dino-Rang as he heard him talk. Something about the way Dino-Rang spoke of his homelands felt almost… Yearning, like a desire for something so long gone that you'd never see it again, but you still can't help but want for it to come.

"Do you miss your home?"

Dino-Rang's smile fell for a bit, but it returned nonetheless as he made a small nod.

"Can't help but miss it sometimes. You'll always find yourself missing the place ya grew up in eventually." Dino-Rang clutched his boomerangs tight, "Or the folks ya grew up with…"—Dino-Rang looked to the skies and watched as a flock of birds flew overhead—"But 'cha know, Skylands has a lot of charms of its own, so I don't get too upset now!"

As Dino-Rang smiled, Bash couldn't help but smile as well. Dino-Rang's optimism was contagious, to be honest. When he smiled and cracked his jokes that didn't really make any sense, everybody else burst into smiles, too!

"Ah, I got carried away again, didn't I?" Dino-Rang shook his head and stomped forward, "C'mon, Bash, we've gotta find that key!"

"Oh, right!" Bash exclaimed as he ran forwards, "I completely forgot!"

The two of them ran up to the next stone block, then pushed it in its path to find that ahead, the pathway had ended! Instead, they were greeted by another row of stone walls and gigantic tower fortresses.

_Geez, just how big __**is**__ this fortress, anyways? _Bash thought as he made a toothy frown, _It feels like we've been walking through this place forever…_

As Bash reflected, his eyes trailed over to the top of the tallest pillar in the fortress, which had a shimmer of gold reflected and just barely visible to the naked eye!

"Dino-Rang, did you see that?!" Bash asked as he nudged Dino-Rang's arm and pointed to the top of the fortress, "We've found our key!"

Dino-Rang frowned, then held a hand over his eyes and watched the fortress.

"Looks like we 'ave!" Dino-Rang smiled and nudged Bash's shoulder, "Come on!"

The two of them ran towards the pathway with a spring in their step, but soon than ran turned to a walk then stopped altogether. Something seemed almost strange about this. They were alone in a fortress, no traps or guards or enemies in sight. It was quiet in a way that felt almost wrong. But, either way they carried on to the large pillar, which much like the path before had several gigantic cinder blocks strewn about a pathway full of deep holes. They walked up to the first block in the way, pushed it into the hole…Then they heard a click followed by what was possibly the loudest siren blare they had ever heard!

As they stumbled back in confusion, trolls, drow soldiers and only the Ancients know what else dropped in from nowhere, weapons brandished and ready to fire! Bash gritted his teeth, ready to roll out and attack…

Then one of the trolls jumped back in fear.

"Evil Rock Dragon, sir, it's you!" The troll proclaimed in a sheer level of panic, "Our apologies, sir!"—the troll frantically bowed and shook their head—"What brings you to the fortress, sir?"

"… Huh?" Bash uttered as he crooked an eyebrow, then yelped as Dino-Rang gently nudged his elbow.

"Mate, listen, now's our chance!" Dino-Rang whispered as he nudged himself just close enough to Bash for nobody to notice, "We just gotta convince these blokes that yer on their side!"

"But how do I do that?!" Bash looked towards Dino-Rang and cringed, "I'm not really good at lying… Or making things up on the spot."

"Just follow my lead." Dino-Rang whispered something into Bash's ear, then drew back with a scowl.

Bash nodded, then turned back to address the waves of Kaos's cronies.

"Well," Bash said after a quick clear of his throat, "I managed to take one of the Skylanders captive in a fit of luck! I was going to take him in to Lord Kaos…"—Bash nudged his head above—"But, I need the key up there to reach Lord Kaos's prisoner ship!"

"Yes, sir!" The nervous-looking troll froze into a salute, then ran over towards the pillar, "I'll just go take care of that pesky alarm system for you…"

"Hold up a second," said a lanky drow from the crowd as they pulled back the troll, "We don't have a ship for prisoners, just a warship! And even then, we have teleporter wristbands for that! Why would you need a key?"

"W-well," Bash sputtered as he broke into a slight sweat, "My teleporter wristband broke in the fight with the Skylander!"

"Oh, is that so?" The drow shook their head and walked closer to Bash, "Let me see it, then. I'm sure I could fix it up a little—"

"NO, NO! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Bash jumped back while sweat dripped even faster down his brow, "I, I mean, it's well beyond repair, I doubt you could do anything about it."

"Then why not have Lord Kaos portal you back to the warship?" The drow crossed their arms as their ears twitched, "You have a communicator device, don't you?"

"THAT GOT BROKEN IN THE FIGHT TOO!" Bash spat out as his legs shook, "A-and, besides, Lord Kaos does get pretty testy when people interrupt his evil plotting!"

"Don't you mean _glorious _evil plotting?" The drow finally pushed their face in front of Bash's, "And for that matter, you look kind of dirty… Have you not been bathing lately?"

"I DIRT-BATHE DAILY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Bash shot back as he pushed his face in the drow's.

"What's going on here?"

All eyes turned to the back of the crowd as a voice much like Bash's own echoed throughout the field.

And in that moment, Bash knew that the jig was up—because right behind the crowd was none other than the Evil Rock Dragon, the Evil Crystal Golem by its side!

"EVIL ROCK DRAGON!?" The drow exclaimed as it looked back at Bash and then at the Evil Rock Dragon, "WHY ARE THERE TWO OF YOU?!"

The Evil Rock Dragon's jaw dropped as it stared down Bash, then it growled and pointed a claw.

"YOU'VE HAD WOOL PULLED OVER YOUR EYES, YOU BUFFOONS!" The Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed as it bore its teeth, "That's a filthy Skyander!"

"He's the real imposter!" Bash exclaimed as he pointed a claw back at the Evil Rock Dragon, "Get him! Please!"

"PLEASE?!" The minions exclaimed in unison as they brandished their weapons at Bash and Dino-Rang.

"The Evil Rock Dragon never says please or thank you!" The drow exclaimed as they withdrew a mechanical stick that soon expanded into a long scythe, then cast a glance aside, "Sure wish it would though…"—The drow shook their head and pumped their scythe to the skies—"HE'S THE REAL FAKE! ATTACK THEM!"

The minions all readied their weapons and pointed them towards a shaking Bash and a sighing Dino-Rang.

"Well, it was a nice plan in theory…" Dino-Rang sighed as he withdrew his boomerangs, his brows tightened, "Guess we're gonna have to do things the old-fashioned way!"

Dino-Rang flung the boomerangs straight towards the troll and drow that had harassed him and Bash just moments earlier, then watched with pride as they beaned the minions in the head! With a smirk he reclaimed his boomerangs and basked in a momentary victory… Only to jump back as the other minions cried out and charged!

"Guess that's my cue!" Bash exclaimed as he curled into a ball and charged!

With a cheetah's speed Bash razed down the crowd, a clean path created as he knocked the petty soldiers to the skies! It was all so exhilarating as he dashed through the crowds and poured down the grassy green hills, so much that he was fully ready to turn around and do it again… But before he could, something blindsided him and slammed him down!

"Though you could get away with impersonating me, did you?!" The Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed as it pushed against Bash, "You're not good enough to be my fake!"

"Fake?!" Bash shouted back as he pushed further against the Evil Rock Dragon, "You're the real faker around here!"

"I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS!" The Evil Rock Dragon pushed forwards with a renewed strength just strong enough to slam Bash against a nearly tree!

Bash flew into the tree and snapped its trunk in half, but he wasn't deterred! He merely jumped back to his feet and started rolling again! Bash and the Evil Rock Dragon slammed and slammed against each other like combating pinballs in a tilting pinball machine, neither party willing to fall into the deep…

But while Bash and the Evil Rock Dragon were going at it, Dino-Rang was holding a battle of his own! With ever spin and twist and flick of his wrist he shot out boomerangs through the massive crowds of enemies, all of which were knocked down like flies in seconds!

"Y'know, you lot are a lot easier than you look!" Dino-Rang proclaimed as he sent a wave of gremlins down for the count with a shot of his boomerangs, "I've faced kittens tougher than you! Where's the challenge, mates?"

Dino-Rang reclaimed his boomerangs from the skies and held them high, then yelped as something seared his hands! Dino-Rang dropped his boomerangs, then looked down and gasped as he saw that they were fried and charred! He knelt down and went to pick them back up, but they were so hot that he couldn't even touch them!

"What're you gonna do now, dragon?" The Evil Crystal Golem sneered as it stepped past the crowds of fallen soldiers, "Your novelty act's been burned!"

Dino-Rang scowled, then clasped his fists together and slammed then straight into the ground! With the force of an earthquake, rows of stone traps exploded from the ground and sent the unconscious soldiers flying into the distant skies.

"I AIN'T A DRAGON, YA BLOKE!" Dino-Rang exclaimed as he snarled, his fists still clenched tight.

The traps resided, and soon revealed that the battlefield was now completely cleared out save for Bash, Dino-Rang, and the evil clones. It was an even field at last, two versus two in the vast nothingness of the open plains. But, which side would come out victorious?

Bash grunted as he rolled back to Dino-Rang, who only recollected the now-cooled down boomerangs from the grass. The two of them glared down the evil clones... Then they both pounded the ground once more and gated off the fortress with a wall of stone pillars!

All that came from the other side was pounding and annoyed screams as the clones tried to break the walls, but to no avail. These walls were s tough, they simple wouldn't crack or budge.

"Now!" Dino-Rang shouted as he and Bash bolted up the pillar's pathway!

The two of them ran like their lives, or perhaps the fate of Skylands itself depended on them obtaining this simple key! As they ran up the path and faced another cinder block, however, Bash paused and frowned as he looked down on Dino-Rang's precious boomerangs.

They were completely covered in char and soot… There was no way they'd still be usable after all that!

"Sorry about your boomerangs," Bash whispered as his crimson eyes fixed on them.

"Oh, these old things?" Dino-Rang only smiled and brushed them off, "They're a lot more durable than ya think, mate!"—As the soot fell into a pile at their feet, Dino-Rang held the boomerangs out towards Bash—"See? Good as new!"

Bash smiled as he looked down at the boomerangs, which sure enough, were now free of any contamination! Dino-Rang's homeland must have had some pretty impressive woodsmiths, or boomerang-smiths, or whatever one calls people who make boomerangs…

Then Bash heard something that sounded like splitting stone and looked back at his gate… That was soon to be no more! A gigantic, circular crack had formed in the center of the gate, and it spread with every passing minute. At this rate, it probably wouldn't last much longer!

Dino-Rang seemed to understand this as well, as he stowed away his boomerangs and began pushing the cinder block ahead! He only grunted and carried on as Bash joined him in pushing the block, then ran ahead as it finally slid into place!

The cracking stone was a backdrop to their adventures as Bash and Dino-Rang ran up paths and pushed blocks into place. Though they ran fast, the cracks spread even faster than they could run, and soon enough…

SMASH!

A loud, crumbling sound froze Bash and Dino-Rang in place, then finally they pushed themselves to turn back and see that their barrier had completely cracked and crumbled into itty-bitty pieces! And who else would be in the center of the fray but the Evil Rock Dragon and the Evil Crystal Golem?

Both evil clones looked up at Bash and Dino-Rang (Or at least seemed to, it was hard to tell from the distance). The Evil Crystal Golem raised its crystalline that glowed harsh and bright against the afternoon sun, and from there a cavalry of lasers sprung in all directions!

Dino-Rang ducked as a laser shot just inches away from his head, but Bash only curled himself into a ball.

"I'll take care of these creeps!" Bash exclaimed as he rolled straight off of the pathway, "You just get the key!"

Dino-Rang nodded, then watched as Bash rolled onto the grass and began chasing down the evil clones. Then, he stood back up and bolted up the free pathway!  
While Dino-Rang climbed the pathway, Bash mowed down grass and kicked up dust everywhere he rolled—a perfect masquerade as he chased down the Evil Crystal Golem! While the Crystal Golem panted and fell to its knees, Bash smirked. Now was the perfect opportunity to raze it down…

"Oh no you don't!" The Evil Rock Dragon shouted as it slammed straight into Bash from behind!

This unexpected assault tossed Bash straight into the air, then with a labored grunt Bash landed right onto his back. He groaned as he tried to stagger back up. But then, the Evil Rock Dragon crashed right into him again and slammed him straight into the pillar! Bash stumbled up and winced. As he looked up, he saw Dino-Rang run further and smiled before he glared down the Evil Rock Dragon.

Bash roared as he coiled into a ball, then bolted straight for the Evil Rock Dragon as it did the same! The more they traded blows, the more they were blown across the battlefield that was once the plains. Neither party was quite willing to relent… But, Bash was starting to get a bit more worn down from all this fighting. As he was blown away yet again, Bash uncurled himself and panted.

His head was hung low as he regained his breath and strength, then he looked up and was flung back as a laser hit him square in the chestplate! Bash groaned as he slammed into the cliff.

"Ooh, birdies, everywhere…" Bash groaned as he popped out of the cliff and stumbled about.

With Bash out of the way, the Evil Crystal Golem smirked and blew off its hands. Its attention turned towards the pillars as it held up its shining crystalline hands, which whistled like a machine building power.

Dino-Rang gritted his teeth as he ran further up the path, only to be faced with a gigantic cinder block right in front of the final stop! As he walked closer towards it, however, a gigantic laser shot right in between him and the block and forced him to jump back! Dino-Rang fell down as even more lasers shot out from all angles. After he took shelter, he looked down the pathway to see the Evil Rock Dragon rolling up the way!

"Crap, I gotta make this quick!" Dino-Rang whispered as he tried to crawl further towards the block again, only to crawl back as another laser shot through.

With a grunt, he narrowed his eyes then withdrew his boomerangs. Dino-Rang gritted his teeth… And with a flick of his wrist, he sent the boomerangs swirling around the cinder block! Dino-Rang ducked as another laser passed over him, only to pop his head up and watch a golden key slide onto his snout!

"Alright!" Dino-Rang grabbed the key off of his snout and stood while the laser light show came to a close.

He took another quick look down, then smiled as he saw both evil clones completely unconscious and his boomerangs on their way back! He recollected them in a swift movement, then jumped down the paths.

"Bash!" Dino-Rang called as he finally reached the beginning of the path, "Look what I got!"

Bash shook his head and smiled as Dino-Rang came into view with the key in hand!

"Nice going!" Bash exclaimed as he jumped to his feet.

"Couldn't have done it without'cha, mate." Dino-Rang patted Bash's head, then turned around and walked off, "Now c'mon, we've gotta get back to the others!"

And with a smile, the two of them walked down the silent, notably less grassy plains with a new sense of accomplishment in their hearts.

§

Chihiro shuddered as she traversed through the crypt, a sphere of magic her sole source of light in the dark depths of the crypt itself.

Despite the lack of life, the crypts bustled with sounds! From the pitter-patter from water as it dropped from an unknown source, to the skittering of unseen insects, to Chihiro and Terrafin's own footsteps, the whole place seemed to bustle with life! Which, unfortunately, was probably more nerve-wracking than reassuring.

"Geez," Chihiro sputtered as she shuddered once more, "This place sure it's creepy. It's like something out of a horror movie!"—Chihiro bounced her sphere a bit higher up and watched it grow brighter—"I'm just waiting for a movie monster to jump out from the shadows!"

"Like a guy in a cheap monster suit?" Terrafin said as he nudged Chihiro in the shoulder.

Chihiro only giggled, then gently nudged Terrafin back.

"Heh, yeah, like that!" Chihiro breathed a relieved sigh, "To be honest, I'd be glad if it was something like that!"

"What, don't tell me you're _scared_ now!" Terrafin made a look of mock-shock, gaping jaw and all, "You're the one who wanted to come here in the first place!"

"I'm not scared!" Chihiro's shaking disappeared as she raised an eyebrow at Terrafin, "… Unless you are~"

"Me, _scared_? Who do you think you're talking to?" Terrafin smirked and puffed out his chest, "I've tussled with way worse stuff than this!"

The two of them burst into hapless laughter as Chihiro's sphere shone even brighter than before. For a moment, it seemed as if the creepy atmosphere of the entire crypt vanished, completely swept away by the joy of their laughter. As the sphere floated back down and rested itself in Chihiro's palms, Chihiro made a genuinely happy smile towards Terrafin.

"… Thanks, Fin," Chihiro whispered as she looked down at her feet.

"No problem, kiddo." Terrafin gently patted Chihiro's shoulder.

The two of them smiled and laughed together once more, only for a third laugh to break the surface! It was a mischievous, high-pitched cackle, a voice very unlike their own!

"Who's there?!" Chihiro cast her sphere of light further ahead to find…

An imp! It had a round head and an almost childlike body build, yellow skin and red eyes that glinted with a hint of malevolence. It wore worn, brown leathers gloves, pants and boots, and in its large hand it held none other than a shiny golden key!

"That's the key we need!" Chihiro ran forward and pounced on the imp "Hand it over!"

But the imp had other ideas! It just cackled and dashed on in a flash! It didn't even look behind as Chihiro crashed face-first into the crypt's dusty, dirty stone floors!

Chihiro groaned, then shook her head and jumped to her feet.

"Hey, come back here!" Chihiro shook her fist as she raced after the imp, their rapid footsteps echoed throughout the crypt

Terrafin bolted forward and dove into the earth, but the stone was so thick, he wasn't able to swim at all! All he could do was crash face-first and moan as he rubbed his aching face. However, he quickly shook off the pain and tagged behind Chihiro.

As she saw Terrafin run behind her, Chihiro nodded then grabbed hold of his bulky hand as her own glowed with cyan magic. The two of them were enveloped with that same cyan glow for a few moments, then when it faded they ran at twice the speed they did before!

"WOO-HOO!" Chihiro exclaimed as she let go of Terrafin's hand, dashed forward and pumped her fists high in the air, "I LOVE SPEED SPELLS! THAT IMP WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT—"—Chihiro promptly crashed into a corner's wall—"It."

While Chihiro groaned and slid down the wall, Terrafin rounded the corner and fixed his milky white eyes on the imp! Thanks to the speed boost, he had managed to gain traction on it to the point where he was close enough that he could hear its breath. All he had to do was reach out and grab it… But before he could, something else emerged from the shadows and took the key from the imp!

The key-stealer cackled as the imp hid in the shadows behind it, then finally stepped into a slightly less darker portion for all to view.

"You?!" Terrafin exclaimed as he stopped in his tracks.

"It's me alright," proclaimed the Evil Dirt Shark as it grasped the key tight, then held it up for Terrafin, "Looking for this?"

"Give us the key, buddy." Terrafin simply cracked his knuckles, his eyes narrowed and full of tranquil rage, "And maybe I won't have to rearrange that face of yours!"

"Oh, I'm so scared!" The Evil Dirt Shark's voice was laced with pure sarcasm as it made a smirk, "I _might _give it to you, but…"

"Fin!" Chihiro called as she finally caught up with Terrafin, "And… That weird clone thing?! What's going on here?!"

"I'll tell you what's going on!" The Evil Dirt Shark slammed its hand against the stone walls of the crypt hallways, "Your friend and I are going to decide whose the real champion of the ring!"

"… The ring?" Chihiro tilted her head and frowned.

"Well," Terrafin said as he crossed his arms, a sneer played on his thin lips, "I can never say no to a good challenge. Fine, I'll take you up."

"So you're not as weak as you look." The Dirt Shark smirked, then punched the side of the wall!

In response, a loud noise akin to shrieking stone was heard as the wall parted to reveal… A secret hallway? There behind that stone slab was a hallway filled with dirt and spiderwebs that might've been even darker than the crypt's prior passages—which was saying a lot.

The Evil Dirt Shark and its imp companion walked down the halls without hesitation, so Chihiro and Terrafin followed after them as well. All was quiet as the Evil Dirt Shark lead them down the way for what seemed like forever. Then finally, it punched another wall and opened up another stone door!

The four of them passed through the passage to find a large, square room. It was as dusty and old as the rest of the crypt, but unlike it, this room lacked the traditional trademarks of the crypt itself. There were no cobwebs, no tombs, no coffins... Rather, it had an elevated, square stone platform in the center decorated with spiderweb fences that almost kinda resembled a boxing ring.

"I see what you're going for, now," Terrafin smirked as he pulled himself onto the platform and smirked.

"Exactly," The Evil Dirt Shark said as it joined Terrafin in the ring.

"Oh, it meant like a _boxing _match," Chihiro realized as she watched them glare each other down, then cleared her throat, "You can do it, Fin! Show this sucker who's boss!"

As Chihiro cheered, however, the Evil Dirt Shark growled and narrowed its blank white eyes.

"Rule number one! No outside interference!" The Evil Dirt Shark proclaimed as it slammed down on a stone pole.

Chihiro paid no mind to it or anything else as she cheered… That is, until the whole room started to rumble!

"Hey, what's going on?!" Chihiro demanded as the rumbling grew more intense.

Then before she could even say anything else, gigantic, thick stone walls shot up from the ground and blocked off the audience from the match!

"Can't have any cheaters and all." The Evil Dirt Shark made a toothy sneer.

"Fine by me," Terrafin replied as he finished cracking his knuckles and glared down the Evil Dirt Shark, "I don't play dirty, anyways."

Both Terrafin and the Dirt Shark fixed each other in a silent staredown, no motion made as they glared at each other. Then finally, the Evil Dirt Shark withdrew the key from out of nowhere, looked up towards a rusted, open bell and tossed the key up! The prize bell swallowed the key up and closed itself shut with a ring—a ring that signaled to everyone that the battle had begun!

"IT'S FEEDIN' TIME!" Terrafin exclaimed as he thrust forward with a punch.

"You think something like that'll stop me?" The Evil Dirt Shark questioned as it dodged Terrafin's blow, "Ha!"

The Evil Dirt Shark spun around its arm and thrust a punch forward, but Terrafin stepped out of the way and threw a punch of his own! The Evil Dirt Shark, in response, side-stepped out of the blow's path and went to throw another. Terrafin, however, was still ever-vigilant! Once again he side-stepped the punch, then jabbed the Evil Dirt Shark right in its jaw! The Evil Dirt Shark growled and shook its head, then hooked Terrafin in the chest!

It was a completely even match! Every blow the Evil Dirt Shark threw, Terrafin dodged with ease, and likewise every blow that Terrafin threw the Evil Dirt Shark quickly shook off or dodged. Would there ever be any end to the fight?

Terrafin jumped out the way of another round of punches, then stepped back and caught his breath. His eyes glazed over to the Evil Dirt Shark as it lumbered towards him… But as it came into range, he slid forward and hit the Evil Dirt Shark right in its gut with an uppercut! The Evil Dirt Shark howled in pain as it fell on its back, then growled as it staggered up and held its chest. It tried to throw a punch with its free hand, but it was so feeble, so weak, that Terrafin blocked it right off the bat!

"Winning this'll be a snap!" Terrafin smirked as he balled his hands into fists.

"I'd think before you speak!" The still-worn Evil Dirt Shark sneered in between heavy pants, then it stuck its fingers in its mouth and whistled loud and clear!

The entire area was silent for a few moments, then slowly the bricks began to shift open! Sand poured down from the ceiling while rocks shot out from invisible cannons. And all of a sudden, what was once just a simple boxing match had become a lot more deadly.

"So much for no cheaters, huh?" Terrafin said as he watched the arena turn into a near-death trap, but only for moments. With a loud shout he ran forward… But the excess of sand on the ring's floor had caused it to grow much more slippery than before! Terrafin only slid right past the Evil Dirt Shark!

Terrafin recollected himself, but before he could ready his punch he was pelted with gigantic rocks! Terrafin slid out their way, but his mind was so fixed on staying out of the rocks' path that he hadn't noticed any other distractions—like the Evil Dirt Shark! Hidden by the veil of pouring sand, the Evil Dirt Shark slid forward and sucker-punched Terrafin right in the jaw!

"Augh!" Terrafin exclaimed as he was thrown to the ropes then crashed on the floor.

He grunted as he fell back to the stone floors, then tried to stagger back up… Only for the entire ground to shake and cause him to fall back down with a grunt!

"Look at this, you're floundering!" The Evil Dirt Shark laughed as it glared down Terrafin, "And you have the gall to call yourself a champion!"

Terrafin paid no mind to the Evil Dirt Shark's jeering taunts. He only stood back up and wiped the blood from his snout without even flinching. He stepped away as the Evil Dirt Shark tried to jab him, rushed forward and shot a cross right into its side! The Evil Dirt Shark cried out in agony as it got flung into the spiderweb ropes, then growled and slid back into the action!

But while they warred inside, everything else was quite quiet outside. Chihiro and that odd imp were completely silent as they pressed their ears to the stone slab barrier in some attempt to make sense of what was going on inside.

Chihiro bit her lip as she pressed her hand against the stone. A glint of fear shone in her brown eyes from what minimal light could be gleaned within the tunnel, though the shaking of her legs could tell anyone she was worried. Finally, she clasped her hand, narrowed her eyes and took in a deep breath, her fear shaken.

"YOU CAN DO THIS, TERRAFIN!" Chihiro cried at the top of her lungs as she pounded her fist against the wall, "YOU CAN BEAT 'EM!"

Back inside, the battle raged ever on as before…

"GET 'EM, FIN! YOU CAN DO IT!"

Terrafin paused for only a second as Chihiro's words passed the walls and echoed throughout the room, then with a smile he swung past the Evil Dirt Shark's latest punch!

While the Evil Dirt Shark stood in shock, the ground began to rumble like never before! Both parties only stood in silence as even more sand flooded into the room, to the point where they were up to their knees in sand!

But Terrafin wasn't the least bit intimidated! He dove into the sand like it was crystal-clear water and swam through its gritty seas. Then, he popped his head up to see a gigantic tidal wave of sand lurch over the boxing ring and position itself just inches below the prize bell! Terrafin sneered, dove back into the sands and swam with the speed of an entire frenzy of sharks!

The Evil Dirt Shark grunted as it dove head-first into the sands, then raced up to Terrafin and charged straight into him! Terrafin spun around in the sands for mere moment, but quickly shook off the pain and went back to tunneling up the wave! However, the Evil Dirt Shark wasn't one to give up either. It chased after Terrafin in a frenzy, right as the tidal wave crashed and sent both of them flying just inches away from the prize bell!

"You'll get that key over my dead body!" The Evil Dirt Shark exclaimed as it went to punch Terrafin.

"Over your dead body, huh?" Terrafin repeated as he intercepted the Evil Dirt Shark's punch with his palm!

While the Evil Dirt Shark's eyes widened, Terrafin took the opportunity to grab its arm, then swung around and flung the Evil Dirt Shark straight into the rusted prize bell! The Evil Dirt Shark could only scream and flail as it slammed straight into the bell and completely shattered it!

"I.. I… I demand a rematch!" The Evil Dirt Shark exclaimed as it fell unconscious onto the stone platform.

The sifting sands and rolling rocks all disappeared into the walls' various components, with only mild debris left behind on the boxing ring—and the key, of course!

Terrafin smiled as he walked to the center of the ring then collected the key from its worn stone surface.

"Terrafin!" Chihiro called as a grinding stone sound was heard from not far away.

Terrafin turned back to the stone walls, only to find that they were no more! They had completely rescinded into the ground, and all that was left was a very excited Chihiro and a very dizzy imp.

Chihiro's eyes sparkled as Terrafin showed her the key, then with an eager giggle she leaped onto the stone platform!

"I knew you could do it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she hugged Terrafin tight, "I was cheering you on the whole time!"

"Heard you loud and clear, kiddo!" Terrafin smiled as he ruffled Chihiro's hair, then lifted her onto his shoulder.

They smiled and basked in the victory for a few moments more, then finally Chihiro jumped off of Terrafin's shoulder. The two of them hopped off of the ring, then both pairs of eyes trailed back to the imp as it stumbled about and finally fell unconscious.

"What's with that dude, anyways?" Terrafin asked as he looked at Chihiro.

"Well…" Chihiro made a hapless shrug, "It's a long story involving a brick, a baseball bat and some rope. I'll tell you on the way."

And that is exactly what Chihiro did as she and Terrafin trekked back up the tunnel…

§

Chihiro rested her hands on her knees and panted as she finally broke through the crypt's entrance. Thank goodness, she was finally back in the open again! It was so nice to feel the sunlight on her skin and the breeze in her hair! That crypt was seriously starting to creep her out… But, that was no matter now. She and Terrafin had finally arrived back at that gate, and for a moment could finally sit down and breathe.

"Chihiro, Terrafin!" Called a gravely voice from across the way.

Alerted by the voice, Chihiro pulled herself up and looked back across the grassy fields. She could've sworn she saw two blobby figures dash across the spring green fields, two blobby figures that came into view rather quickly… Actually, no, a little too quickly!

Chihiro yelped and jumped out the way as a brown blur flew past her, then slammed into a nearby cinder block and yelped itself! The cinder block shattered to bits as soon as this blur made impact, but oddly enough the blur—or rather, the dragon who created it—was perfectly fine!

"I'm okay," Bash groaned as he shook his head and staggered back to his feet, "I think."

Chihiro chuckled and shook her head, then placed her eyes to her side.

"How'd it go, Chi?" Dino-Rang asked as he walked up to Chihiro and gazed her up.

"Fin, show them the fruits of our work!" Chihiro ordered as she turned her eyes to Terrafin, who was currently chatting it up with Bash.

Terrafin turned around to face Chihiro, then smiled and withdrew the golden key they have retrieved from the crypt! It looked a lot more brilliant now that they could bring it out into the open, its body a first-place trophy whose solid gold shone well against the sunlight.

Dino-Rang smiled as he caught sight of the key, then chuckled and grabbed something from the pockets of his armor… A matching gold key!

"Nice!" Chihiro high-fived Dino-Rang's free hand, then took the key from him and hopped over to the gate.

She shoved the keys into the gate's first two locks, gulped and turned them in unison… But nothing happened. The locks didn't drop, heck, not even a click was heard as she turned them! Were they faulty? Chihiro looked them over and frowned, then went back to frantically turning them. However, once again her work yielded no results. The locks still sat firm and strong on the gate like soldiers.

"Guess we'll need the third key for this to work." Chihiro sighed and shoved the keys back into her pockets as she turned back to the others, "So… Where do you guys think it is?"

"Those plains didn't have anything other than the fortress, as far as I saw…" Bash said as he brushed his tail against the grass.

"Yup," Dino-Rang affirmed as he crossed his arms and nodded his head, "Just grass and dirt as far as the eye could see."

Chihiro frowned, then hummed and rubbed her chin as her eyes trailed back to the crypt's open pathway. Now that she thought about it, she was sure she had seen a second pathway when she and Terrafin had first trailed down there… Could the final key be located there?

"Actually, I might have an idea!" Chihiro spun around and marched back into the crypt, "Follow me!"

Chihiro heard the sound of footsteps behind her as she ventured deeper into the crypt, but she paid little mind to it. Rather, she summoned a magic sphere and used it as a makeshift lantern while the light grew more and more minimal. If she remembered correctly, that split in the paths should have been somewhere around…

"Here!" Chihiro stopped short, then jolted up as she heard the sounds of what sounded like… Skittering? Like, spiders? SPIDERS?!

Chihiro shuddered, then turned around and yipped as she found herself face-to-face with Dino-Rang!

"Oh, Dino-Rang, it's, it's just you." Chihiro panted and brushed the cold sweat off of her face, then turned around and urged her magic sphere to float a little further onward.

In keeping with her silent command the magic sphere floated past her and deeper into the stone halls. Its cyan light illuminated the otherwise dank and dark spaces before them, and revealed twin, open doors. One was flanked by rotted crates and barrels, while the other was decorated at its top with thin spiderwebs that shimmered against the sphere's luminescence!

"We went down that one, right Fin?" Chihiro asked as she pointed down towards the pathway flanked by the barrels.

"I'm pretty sure the footsteps over there have your answer," Terrafin said as he pointed towards the floor.

Sure enough, familiar dusty footprints decorated the old stone floors.

"Path number two it is, then!" Chihiro hummed a jaunt tune as she marched down the second door's path, her sphere a guide to the otherwise darkened halls. Despite the slight feeling of unease she had gotten just from being here, Chihiro felt as unstoppable as she usually did. Nothing could possibly keep her from getting that next key!

Well, nothing but the gigantic cinder block she had marched straight into in a lack of foresight, that is. As the others joined her, Chihiro giggled and rubbed her face.

"There's a block there, apparently." Chihiro turned back around, then snapped her fingers and watched her magic sphere expand!

Its light now covered every corner of the room, and in the process revealed a number of cinder blocks much like the one Chihiro had rammed her face into! They were carefully positioned around the room, much like a puzzle… What could it possibly unlock? A secret entryway much like the one that lead to the secret boxing room? A treasure room? Or maybe just a plain old room filled with coffins?

As Chihiro pondered and the others pushed the blocks out the way, a chill ran down her spine. She could've sworn that she felt something was watching her… But when she turned around, there was nothing there.

"Eh, might've just been a spider or somethin'," Chihiro remarked as she made a hapless shrug, "I hope not, though. Spiders creep me out…"

Just then, Chihiro heard a hiss and could've sworn she felt some soft, glowing light above her… But when she looked up at the ceiling, all she saw were cobwebs and worn stone. Was she imagining things?

"Hey, guys…" Chihiro turned her attention to Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang as they finished clearing out the cinder blocks, "Did you hear something strange?"

"What kind of strange, Chi?" Bash asked as he pushed a cinder block to the right.

"Like…" Chihiro twiddled her fingers and leaned forward, "Spiders skittering and weird creature noises strange?"

"Haven't heard anything like that, nope." Bash shook his head, then looked towards Terrafin and Dino-Rang who both nodded in agreement.

"Ah…" Chihiro sighed and looked aside before she looked back at the path before. She must have just been imagining things again, she did tend to hear noises that weren't actually there and all… But was she, really? Chihiro just shook her head as she followed the others into the next room.

That room much like the one prior was pitch black save of the soft glow of cyan that came from the prior room, so Chihiro summoned another sphere to bring the room to light.

"Another block puzzle?" Chihiro held her head and sighed as she examined the room before her.

True to her words, this room carried yet another collection of awkwardly-arranged and very heavy-looking cinder blocks on its floors. Guess it was her turn to take care of them!

With a snap of Chihiro's fingers, the cinder blocks were enveloped in a cyan glow and pushed themselves out of the way. Slowly, but surely, a semblance of a path formed in the midst… Then the spellcasting came to a stop as loud skittering echoed through the room!

"THE HECK'S THAT SOUND?!" Chihiro exclaimed before her whole body locked up, "Could it be…"—Chihiro gulped and her voice turned to a pained shrill—"SPIDERS?!"

"Spiders?" Terrafin demanded as he gave Chihiro a confused stare, "That's what you were freaking out about this whole time?!"

Chihiro whimpered, then looked at Terrafin and made a slight nod.

"I can't help it, Fin!" Chihiro's arms and legs shook without her even realizing, "They're got those beady little eyes and those creepy legs and they show up out of complete nowhere and—"

"Chihiro, spiders are nothing to be afraid of," Bash said as he patted Chihiro on the back, "Most of the time, they're more scared of you than you are of them!"

"I dunno, mates," Dino-Rang added as he turned to look ahead, "Those spiders don't seem very afraid to me!"

"SPIDERS?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked ahead… And promptly froze.

The skittering noise she had heard had grown louder and louder as a mass of shadows emerged from the halls above! As they stepped into their light, they… Oh god. Those massive, hairy bodies, those spindly legs like needles, those beady red eyes, the pinchers for mouths… No… Those couldn't possibly be…

"SPIDERS!" Chihiro exclaimed at the top of her lungs as she leaped into Terrafin's arms and squeezed him tight, "GIANT SPIDERS GIANT SPIDERS GIANT SPIDERS—"

"SO YOU'VE DECIDED TO SHOW YOUR SORRY FACES AGAIN!" The spiders hissed as they circled around Chihiro and the Skylanders.

Chihiro, meanwhile, completely froze as she squeezed Terrafin even tighter than before.

"Chihiro, stop, you're kinda, choking—" Terrafin spat as he tried to pry Chihiro off of his person.

"YOU WHO HAVE INVOKED THE WRATH OF THE STONE SPIDERS…" The lead spider exclaimed as it stepped forward and hissed, "FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR DIRE MISTAKES!"

All at once the spiders leaped onto the quartet, then buried them under a massive pile of spider! The only sounds that could be heard from within were hissing, shuffling, and the ear-piercing cry of Chihiro's terrified screams… Then finally, they stormed off with Terrafin and Bash in tow!

"Hey, what's the deal?!" Terrafin said as he bounced on the crowd of spiders.

"Let us go!" Bash demanded as he tried to break free of the spiders' grasp… But it was far too tightly held for him to do anything more than struggle.

"Terrafin, Bash!" Dino-Rang called as he watched them get carried into the dark depths of the halls ahead then turned to Chihiro, "C'mon, Chi, we have to get them!"

However, Chihiro had paid little attention to what had just occurred. She was more preoccupied with burying her face in her hands and babbling incoherently about spiders.

"Chihiro!" Dino-Rang snapped his fingers in front of Chihiro, "Skylands to Chihiro!"

"Oh, hey Dino-Rang!" Chihiro chirped as she looked back at Dino-Rang, "Hey, those spiders are gone!"

"Yeah, cause they ran off with Terrafin and Bash!"

"They did?! Crap, they're gonna be goners if we don't get to them!" Chihiro's fear was seemingly forgotten as she grabbed Dino-Rang hand and bolted off, "Come on!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers to illuminate the halls as she ran down them. For a moment, everything seemed to blend into identical stone pathways with no spiders in sight… Then the sound of skittering became vocal once more!

"That way!" Chihiro darted down a left turn and snapped her fingers once more! As she spread light into the room once more, her eyes fixed on the sight of large spiders that stood vigilant near a door.

With a grunt she let go of Dino-Rang's hand and jumped right past the guards!

"Alright!" Chihiro exclaimed as she landed into the next room, "Who are you guys and what do you want with my—"—Chihiro winced as all eyes fixed on her—"Friends?!"

There in the room was none other than the rest of the spiders, who crowded around and hissed. To the side wall were none other than Terrafin and Bash, who had been stuck to the stone walls with sticky webbing that refused to budge no matter how much they struggled.

"Oh, hey Chi!" Bash remarked as his eyes drifted over to her.

"SILENCE! PRISONERS DON'T GET TO TALK!" Hissed one spider as it glared at Bash, then trailed over to Chihiro, "And intruders don't get to either!"

The spiders all crowded around Chihiro, then pushed forward and heaved her out of the room! Chihiro landed on the stone ground with a scream and a crunch, then groaned and pulled herself to sit up.

"So much for the diplomatic approach…" Chihiro remarked as she rubbed her aching arm.

"Then I guess it's time for the offensive one!" Dino-Rang exclaimed as he leaped forward and shot his boomerangs!

The boomerangs soared in the air for a few seconds… But before they could even make contact with the spider people, they got completely stuck in the air!

"What the?!"

Dino-Rang ran forward and jumped up towards his boomerangs, only to get stuck himself.

"Heh, guess I didn't think this through." Dino-Rang chuckled as he looked down from where he was suspended in midair.

The hissing and chanting from the spiders grew louder and more chaotic as they crowded around the Skylanders… Then the whole crowd fell to a hush.

"What's going on?" Chihiro asked as she warily stood up and crept back into the room, then she completely froze. Why, one may ask?

Because something crawled down from the ceiling and it looked like something out of Chihiro's worst nightmares, that's why!

It was a spider about five times the size of the spiders that surrounded Chihiro currently, though it was more like a spider-taur, really. Its bottom half was a traditional spider body complete with twin, intersecting hourglass symbols on its abdomen, but the top half was more humanoid in appearance. Granted, it still had those weird spider legs instead of arms, those weird pincher mouths and those eight blood-red eyes that stared straight into Chihiro's soul… But the short tuft of red hair it had was kinda humanoid, right?

The spider giant inhaled and screeched out nonsense in such a loud volume it almost made Chihiro's ears pop! As it kept rambling on its eyes trailed on to the captured Skylanders, then it stopped and cleared its throat.

"Excuse me," The giant spider said in perfect English before it regained its angry disposition, "AS THE QUEEN OF THE STONE SPIDER COLONY, I DEMAND YOUR APOLOGIES FOR TRANSGRESSING UPON OUR HOME AND DESTROYING IT!"

"Transgressing?! DESTROYING?! What kind of bollocks are you talking, lady?" Dino-Rang demanded as he struggled against the invisible web he was stuck to, "If it's about moving those blocks then we're sorry, lady! We'll put them back when—"

"I wasn't talking to you, lizard." The spider queen flicked Dino-Rang's snout, then fixed her gaze on Terrafin and Bash, "I was talking to THEM!"

The queen pointed a leg towards Terrafin and Bash and bore fangs dripped with… Blood? Poison? Chihiro couldn't tell what it was, but that mottled reddish-green liquid that came from her mouth was definitely bad news.

"You lightsiders think you own everything under your feet, don't you?" The queen hissed as she thrust her face in Terrafin and Bash's, "You really think you have the right to encroach upon our homelands, destroy our webs and trample upon everything in your wake, do you not?!"

As the queen spoke, a couple of the smaller spiders cowered and embraced each other in sorrow.

Chihiro's eyes trailed over to the sad-looking spiders, and for a moment her heart sank. She had completely forgotten that these spiders had captured her friends and were something out of her worst nightmares. For that moment, she had felt every drop of sadness and rage in their hearts…

"What are you talking about?!" Terrafin insisted as he bore his teeth at the spider queen, "We didn't do any of that!"

"Yeah!" Bash added as he squirmed against the web he was trapped in, "Now let us go!"

"INSOLENCE!" The spider queen bellowed as she stepped back and growled, "Children, feast upon those who terrorize our land!"

The spiders all muttered in agreement as they slowly crept towards Terrafin and Bash…

All while Chihiro completely frozen. She wanted to do something, say something, _anything _that could help them, but it was like the moment she saw those spiders, her feet just glued themselves to the spot!

_But, I can't let them get eaten! I can't let my friends get killed! _Chihiro gulped as her eyes stung with panicked tears, _I, I, have to do something…_

Right as the spiders got ready to lunge, Chihiro gulped and balled her sweaty hands into fists.

"WAIT A SECONDDDDDDDDDD!" Chihiro exclaimed as she skidded in between the spiders and Skylanders.

Shocked by her sudden intrusion, the spiders all stepped back.

"I don't really know what's entirely going on here…" Chihiro gulped and tugged on her collar, "But I know my friends, and I know they'd _never _do something like that!"

"Then who else could've, child?!" The spider queen demanded as that weird cocktail dripped from her fangs some more, "They fit the exact description of the intruders my subjects have given! Do you mean to imply we are liars?!"

Chihiro gulped and fell silent. That would be a hard thing to prove, especially to a very angry spider lady who could literally bite her head off at any second… Wait a second, exact descriptions?

"Would those intruders happened to have looked like this, by any chance?" Chihiro waved her hands, then magicked up a hologram of the Evil Dirt Shark and Evil Rock Dragon.

One of the background spiders examined Chihiro's hologram, then gasped.

"That's exactly what they looked like!" The spider proclaimed.

"Well, that solves that then!" Chihiro whisked away the hologram as she placed her sweaty hands on her hips, "Those are actually just evil clones of my buddies here! It's a funny story, tell you later,"—Chihiro's teeth chattered as she turned around to grab Terrafin and Bash—"Now, if you'll just let my friends go free, then we'll be—"

"You're shaking, child." The spider queen glared down Chihiro and gently brushed Chihiro's shoulder with her leg, which only made Chihiro shudder further, "How can I know for certain you aren't lying through your teeth?"

_Stupid arachnophobia! _Chihiro cursed as she clenched her teeth, _I was so close, too! What do I do now?!_

"Give me an answer, child!"

Chihiro gulped as the entire colony of spiders fixed their hundreds of thousands of eyes on her. She was never super good under pressure, but this was the worst! How on Earth was she supposed to get her way out of this one? What could she say to make them believe her?!

"Wait a second!" Chihiro exclaimed as she brought up the hologram once more, "Aside from the body shape, these guys look nothing like my friends!"—Chihiro scoffed and looked aside—"I'm not sure how anyone could make that mistake, really…"

"And how do I know they haven't disguised themselves?" The queen tilted her head towards Chihiro in an almost threatening manner.

Chihiro frowned, then swirled her hand around and watched it flare with a bright cyan mist.

"This spell will unveil any potential disguises that they might have, magical or otherwise." Chihiro turned her attention towards Terrafin and Bash then winced, "Sorry about this, guys!"

With a flick of her wrist, the mist sprung out from Chihiro's hands and slammed itself right into Terrafin and Bash! It coated the entire area in smoke for a few minutes, nothing to be seen… Then finally the smoke lifted, and revealed a notably unchanged Terrafin and Bash as they coughed and hacked away.

"Now do you believe us?" Chihiro turned to the spider queen and crossed her arms.

"I suppose." The spider queen made an offhanded gesture towards her spiders, "Guards, free the prisoners. They've proven their innocence."

The spiders grumbled, then skittered up to Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang.

As Chihiro watched them untie the trio with slight reluctance, she made a soft frown and peered up towards the spider queen.

"Actually, Your Highness…" Chihiro clasped her hands against her heart, "If it's alright, could I possibly see those webs that were messed up? I may not know much about what happened, but I'd still like to try and fix them if I can."

"Fix them?" The spider queen's jaw dropped, then she clasped it back up and nodded slightly, "Very well then. Follow me."

Chihiro heeded the queen's command as she followed the queen through the halls of the still quite dark crypts. The halls were as black as late night at first, but this time they had… Light? Yes, some kind of light source in the form of gigantic, incredibly trampled and torn spiderwebs. Their glow was faint, but against this darkness they were as bright as shooting stars.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said they got messed up." Chihiro placed her hands on her hips, then wiped them off and waked towards the webs, "Let's see if I can work my magic."

Chihiro gazed over the webs, the knelt down and pressed a hand to the cold stone. She closed her eyes, inhaled then exhaled… And in moments, she felt surrounded in a bright cyan glow that exploded all over the halls!

The spider queen let out a shout of surprise that jolted Chihiro back into reality… And then, Chihiro smiled.

Because the webs had been completely repaired! They stood stronger than ever, with the broken and torn parts replaced with bright cyan silk strings that shone bright!

Chihiro plucked one of the strings, then turned back to the queen.

"Alrighty! Not only are these webs fixed, but they should be ever stronger than before!" Chihiro proclaimed with a smile and a snap of her fingers, "That's portal master magic for ya~"

"Why, they're beautiful!" The spider queen exclaimed as she skittered forward, then made a kind beam down at Chihiro, though her massive pinchers and fangs still made her look quite intimidating, "Thank you, kind child… Er, you can stop shaking now."

"Me, shaking?" Chihiro giggled as she stomped her trembling legs against the floor—though they only trembled more—and scratched her neck, "Anyways, I should get back to my friends."

The two of them nodded, then rejoined the rest of the congregation.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding," said one spider as they watched Terrafin and Bash brush excess cobwebs off of their bodies, "Could you ever forgive us?"

"Eh, it's water under the bridge," Dino-Rang replied as he pulled a cobweb from his crest, "Say, you guys wouldn't have happened to have seen a golden key anywhere, would you?"

Everybody paused and whispered among themselves, then finally some tiny spiders crawled up the queen's body and whispered something in her ear.

"Is that so?" The queen asked as the spiders nodded and crawled down. The queen then paused and cleared her throat once more.

"My consorts have informed me that they have spotted a key in the corridors of our territory." The queen nodded towards the tiny spiders, "And they'd be more than willing to take you to its location."

"Alright then!" Bash said as he strutted forward, "We'll just—"

The consort spiders glared at Bash, then circled around Chihiro like a puppy claiming ownership over a toy.

"We were only referring to the child."

"Ahahaha, that's alright then!" Chihiro exclaimed as she made a trembling smile and nodded towards the spider consorts, "Lead the way!"

While the spiders skittered off into the dark, Chihiro compliantly if not somewhat robotically followed their trail. But as she did…

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! _Chihiro screamed internally as she walked forwards, _That was a nightmare! For a minute I thought somebody was gonna bite my head off, literally! I—_

Chihiro's train of thought stopped short as she felt herself covered by a blanket of darkness. She instinctively reached to make a magic sphere, but then stopped as the spiders all chirped and began… Weaving? Yes, they all banded together to weave a lantern, made entirely out of luminescent spider silk! As their work finished, they chirruped then lifted the lantern and brought it to Chihiro.

"Heh, that's kinda cool!" Chihiro remarked as she picked up the string lantern and clasped it tight. Despite being made of spider silk, it wasn't sticky at all! It felt more like holding solid, silk cloth.

Her path illuminated by the silk lantern, Chihiro followed the spiders down the path with a bit more ease, then finally they all came to a stop as a dead end! Chihiro frowned and held up her lantern, only to smile as she saw a shimmer of gold up in the corner of the ceiling!

"That's gotta be it!" Chihiro's smile quickly fell as she saw its height, "But it's too high for me to reach…"

The spiders whispered among themselves, the chirped once more and scaled the walls en masse! Once they reached the top, they yanked the key from the corridor, crawled back down to Chihiro's feet and dropped the key.

Chihiro made a soft gasp as she retrieved the key from the floor, then withdrew the other two keys from her pocket. Finally, she had them all!

As the spiders scaled the walls and raced ahead, Chihiro followed back to the central room, then turned around and beamed.

"WE'VE GOT OUR KEYS, GUYS!" Chihiro proclaimed as she held up the keys for all to see.

Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang all cheered and hollered, then all of them banded together and nodded. Their next destination decided, the four of them made their way back down the halls…

"Bye, spider people!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned around and waved towards the spiders, "Thank for the key!"

"You're quite welcome, child!" The spider queen shouted back as she and the spiders all waved goodbye, "Feel welcome to visit at any time!"

"I will!" Chihiro turned around and giggled as she skipped ahead.

_I dunno what I was so scared of, _Chihiro thought as she passed by familiar rooms full of cinder blocks, _Spiders are actually super cool!_

§

"Alright guys, now's the big moment!" Chihiro proclaimed as she stuck one key into the middle lock of the gate, then watched as Dino-Rang and Terrafin flanked both her sides, "On three!"

"One…"

Dino-Rang and Terrafin both placed the other keys into their respective locks.

"Two…"

They all grasped the keys tight…

"Three!"

Then turned them with a firm _click_! As the trio of locks fell down to the grass, the gigantic wooden gate swung open to reveal a lengthy stretch of cliffs and grass beyond its boundaries.

"Looks like the key collecting the worst we'll have to deal with today, thank goodness." Chihiro brushed sweat from her forehead, "Those evil clones sure are a pain in the butt!"

"No kidding," Terrafin scoffed as he firmly crossed his arms, "But I wouldn't let my guard down if I was you. Those guys may be stupid, but they're persistent—one little punch isn't gonna get them out of the ringer!"

"We haven't seen them at all since they challenged us, though!" Chihiro held up a finger, "I wouldn't be surprised if they went crying back to Kaos!"—Chihiro turned around and ran ahead—"Now come on, guys! Last one to the Eternal Earth Source is a wilting chompy!"

Terrafin and Bash snickered as they raced after Chihiro, but Dino-Rang only frowned and turned his head back and forth.

"I could've sworn I felt somethin' rotten around here…" Dino-Rang remarked with a shrug, "Must've just been my imagination playing tricks on me."

Dino-Rang then smiled as he gripped his boomerangs tight and raced ahead.

"Wait up, guys!"

As they passed into the gate, however, what the four of them didn't notice is that there was indeed, a rotten presence that lingered throughout the area! Huddled behind a carefully-positioned collection of rocks… Were none other than the evil clones, who watched with frantic eyes as the Skylanders and Chihiro ran ahead!

"The heck?!" The Evil Dirt Shark exclaimed as it watched them happily pass through the path, "I thought we had made those traps unbeatable! How could they have possibly gotten past them?!"

"Clearly, it's because they weren't as unbeatable as you thought!" The Evil Crystal Golem hissed as it glared down the Evil Dirt Shark, "That's what we get for letting you come up with all the plans! If we had just gone with my idea, we would have—"

"YOUR IDEA MADE NO SENSE!" The Evil Dirt Shark pointed a claw in the Evil Crystal Golem's face, "Where were we supposed to find a crowd of three hundred and fourteen hogs, a gigantic tub of butter and eighty pounds of crystal anyways?!"

"I'M SURE WE COULD FIND IT SOMEWHERE! IT WAS FOOLPROOF I TELL YOU, FOOLPROOF!" The Evil Crystal Golem growled and pushed its face into the Evil Dirt Shark's.

"FOOLPROOF? MORE LIKE FOOLHARDY!" The Evil Dirt Shark scoffed and crossed its arms, "But what would I expect with someone that has rocks for brains?"

"WELL, WELL, YOU…" The Evil Crystal Golem bared its thousands of sharp stalactite fangs and waved its crystal arms, "YOU HAVE MUSCLES FOR BRAINS!"

"AT LEAST MUSCLES CAN ACTUALLY BE USED FOR SOMETHING!"

The Evil Dirt Shark and Evil Crystal Golem shoved their faces tight as they broke into snarls, a tense aura all around their bodies. Then, they reeled back as something conked them in the heads!

"OWCH!" The Evil Dirt Shark and Evil Crystal Golem exclaimed in unison as they rubbed their aching craniums. The two of them then growled and glared at a very impatient-looking Evil Rock Dragon.

"What was that for?!"

"With every second you imbeciles argue, they're getting away!" The Evil Rock Dragon scolded as it pointed a paw back at the gate, "Forget about those past plans, let's just stop them now!"

The Evil Dirt Shark scoffed at the Evil Rock Dragon, then cast a blank gaze back towards the open pathway and smirked.

"Actually, I have a new, better idea!" The Evil Dirt Shark proclaimed as it leaped forwards, "How do you guys feel about a little race with our old buddies, the Skylosers?"

As the Evil Dirt Shark dove into the earth and swam away, the Evil Rock Dragon and Evil Crystal Golem cast each other agreeing smiles.

"Why, that sounds absolutely wonderful!" The Evil Rock Dragon proclaimed as it curled into a ball and rolled away.

"Agreed!" The Evil Crystal Golem said as it crafted a platform of crystal and slid down.

While the three evil minions made their way through the gates, a different, more peaceful scene unfolded in the path itself.

Chihiro, Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang were awfully slow-paced as they trailed through the endless green and brown of the pathway ahead. Their footsteps were a minimal addition to the chorus of singing birds and rustling autumn wind that blew away stray tree leaves.

"Man, it sure is quiet here," Chihiro remarked as she rested her head against her hands, "Not that that's a bad thing, 'cause getting the Eternal Earth Source should be a snap! Heck, it's so peaceful here I doubt anything bad'll actually—"—Chihiro spun around as something dashed past her in a frantic hurry—"HAPPPENNNNNNNNNNNN!"

Chihiro groaned and spun about in a dizzy haze as a cloud of dust kicked up all around them and sent everyone around into a frantic coughing fit!

"SEE YOU AT THE ETERNAL EARTH SOURCE, SKYLOSERS!" Shouted a voice that bore a very uncanny similarity to Terrafin's in the distance…

As Terrafin and Bash fanned away the dust, Dino-Rang stood with wide, concerned eyes and a slightly gaping mouth.

"Wait a second, didn't someone just blow us by?" Dino-Rang asked.

"Er, yeah, wasn't that obvious?" Terrafin replied as he finished blowing away the intense dust clouds.

"And, did you all hear a voice that sounded a lot like Fin's, or is it just me?"

"What are you getting at?" Terrafin gave Dino-Rang a confused look, then cast his gaze towards the ground that was now contaminated with gigantic tunnels of unsettled earth, "Wait a second!"

Everybody remained silent for a few moments… Then the realization dawned on them like the beginning of the day dawns on every tired, tired person.

"THOSE GUYS!" Chihiro cried as she finally regained her balance and shook her head, "C'mon! We can't let them leave us in the dust!"

Terrafin dove into the earth and swam ahead, while Bash rolled into a ball and joined Terrafin. As the two of them swam, Dino-Rang and Chihiro got a running start, then jumped onto the backs of Bash and Terrafin respectively and clung to them tight. There was no way some cheap clones would leave them in the dust!

Chihiro grabbed tighter onto Terrafin's fin, then closed her eyes and hummed with magic. When her eyes finally shot open, everybody was enveloped by a momentary aqua glow and zoomed off with leopard speed! Soon, thick dust clouds came into their view, dust clouds that soon cleared to reveal…

"It's them!" Dino-Rang exclaimed as he kept as tight a grip onto Bash as he could, "Those evil blokes!"

Sure enough, past the clouds was none other than the evil clones as they swam, rolled and sped ahead of them!

"It's time to throw in the towel, you creeps!" Chihiro exclaimed as she waved a fist at the evil clones.

The Evil Crystal Golem jolted up, then turned its head around only to panic and slip on its ramp of solid, sleek green crystal!

"Guys, they're catching up!" The Evil Crystal Golem exclaimed, only to be left in the literal dust as Terrafin and Chihiro blew past it.

The Evil Crystal Golem coughed out specks of dust, growled and stood. It jumped into the air and curled itself into a ball, then slammed straight into its crystal ramp! The force from its landing created a fissure so intense, tons of crystals popped out from what was once the ramp it had slid down on!

"Hah! So much for getting the Eternal Earth Source, right guys?" Chihiro remarked as she leaned against Terrafin's fin.

As they raced further, however, an ear-piercing hiss emerged from the skies!

Chihiro gulped and looked up as a number of identical shadows fell over the race strip, then her eyes became dinner plates in width!

"FIN, LEFT!" Chihiro exclaimed as she latched onto Terrafin's fin and tried to steer him left. However, he didn't budge a bit!

"Chihiro, what're you doing?!" Terrafin exclaimed, only to be tossed aside as a gigantic crystal slammed straight into the area next to him!

Terrafin shouted out in surprise as he was spun halfway across the earth, then slammed straight into Bash and Dino-Rang and sent them on their bellies.

"Did, did somebody get the number on that balloon?…" Terrafin groaned as he popped out of the earth and held his head.

"I tried to warn you…" Chihiro moaned as she plunked her face onto the ground, "Urgh…"

While they all swirled about in their dizziness, the evil minions cackled and blew right past them!

As they were passed by without a second thought, Chihiro and the Skylanders shook their heads and pulled themselves back to their feet. With no hesitation, they got back into position and continued the chase!

"That didn't stop them?!" The Evil Crystal Golem growled as it watched them chase in pursuit, "Then how about this?!"

Wth another slam of its entire body, the Evil Crystal Golem shot another rain of crystals down on Chihiro and Terrafin.

But this time, Chihiro was more than prepared! As the crystals came into rage, she created shields around the four of them and watched as the crystals just bounced off!

"Fool me once, shame on you," Chihiro remarked as both the rain and shields relented, "But fool me twice, shame on me!"

"Evil Crystal Golem, speed it up!" The Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed, "They're gaining on us!"

"Quiet, you!" The Evil Crystal Golem hissed as it glared back at the Evil Rock Dragon, "I'm already doing all I can!"

"Then I guess it's my turn to jump into the fray!" The Evil Rock Dragon curved around, then like a bullet it shot itself straight at Bash and Dino-Rang… Only for Bash to jump out of its path!

"What?!" Exclaimed the Evil Rock Dragon as it blew through open space, then got tossed backwards as Bash slammed down into the ground!

The Evil Rock Dragon growled as it tried to slam into Bash once more, but Bash only swerved out of its way! And worse yet, the Evil Rock Dragon was going so fast, it was completely unable to stop itself from crashing into the Evil Crystal Golem!

While the two of them groaned, Chihiro and the Skylanders all sped past them!

"Next time, ya better watch where you're goin', mate!" Dino-Rang warned as he waved back at the Evil Rock Dragon, "Maybe you won't get into such a nasty crash!"

As the four of them disappeared into the instance, the Evil Dirt Shark snarled and glared down the Evil Rock Dragon and Evil Crystal Golem.

"Get up, you two!" The Evil Dirt Shark demanded as it watched the other laze about, "The Skylosers are getting away!"

But, getting up was the exact opposite of what the Evil Rock Dragon and Evil Crystal Golem did! All they did was lay down and moan.

"But my stones hurt…" Whined the Evil Crystal Golem.

"My everything hurts…" Whimpered the Evil Rock Dragon.

"Ugh, you two…" The Evil Dirt Shark groaned as it turned around and dove into the dirt, "Looks like if you want something right, you have to do it yourself!"

Meanwhile, Chihiro, Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin all sped ahead, their eyes bright with confidence.

"Great job, Dino-Rang! You really left those guys—" Chihiro reeled back as the Evil Dirt Shark sped past her, "ACK!"

Terrafin spun in place as something kicked up dust ahead of them and made a very familiar cackle.

"Dangit, forgot about that dude!" Chihiro gritted her teeth and looked down at Terrafin, "Come on, Fin! We've gotta catch up with him!"

"Way ahead of you, Chi!" Terrafin replied as he steadied himself and dashed ahead!

Thankfully, Terrafin was still as sturdy as ever! It hadn't taken long before they had caught sight of the Evil Dirt Shark's trail, and with a dash ahead from Terrafin they were soon neck-in-neck!

"Looks like it's time for a speed boost!" Chihiro exclaimed as she rubbed her hands, "Magic hands, do your—"

"Oh no you don't!" The Evil Dirt Shark exclaimed as it leaped out of the air!

The Evil Dirt Shark became little more than a shadow as it leaped in front of the sun, then it slammed straight into the earth! From that bodyslam came a shockwave that ran all through the path!

Chihiro screamed as she and Terrafin were tossed onto their backs, then conked their heads together and groaned!

As the two of them struggled to regain their balance, the Evil Dirt Shark cackled and looked aside. Alongside a very disheveled Bash and Dino-Rang were two fast-approaching, very familiar evil figures—the Evil Rock Dragon and the Evil Crystal Golem!

"Eat our dust, Skylanders!" The three of them shouted as they passed Chihiro and Terrafin by.

Chihiro groaned, then staggered back to her feet.

"Come on, guys," Chihiro panted as she pulled Terrafin back to his feet, "We can't let them get there!"

Terrafin grunted and held his head, his mouth drawn into a snarl. But, nonetheless, he looked towards Chihiro and nodded as he let go of her hands.

Bash and Dino-Rang jumped to their feet as well, and with everyone intact they raced ahead once more! Though that informal race had taken quite a bit out of them, an obvious sight from the slightly slower way they ran, they were still kicking! In fact, they could already see the vague silhouettes of the evil minions in the distance. And more importantly, just ahead was…

"The way to Stonetown!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed towards the path ahead.

There, just a few feet ahead was a gate made of logs and stones! Atop its, well, top, laid a sign that read "Welcome to Stonetown" in Skylandian writing—a perfect marker for the end of their trip!

"We've gotta get there before—"

Before they could even get towards it, however, the evil minions jumped through and caused a huge stone wall to close up the entrance!

"They do."

Chihiro stopped in her tracks just inches before she made collision with the thick stone wall, then walked a bit closer and examined it.

"Now how are we gonna get through?…" Chhiro frowned, then her eyes widen as she cast a gaze towards Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang, "Wait a second…"—Chihiro cleared her throat—"You guys are really tough, right?"

"Wouldn't be Skylanders if we weren't, Chi!" Terrafin replied.

"What if we all just…" Chihiro turned her attention back to the gate, "Crash right through it?"

Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin whispered among each other, then shrugged and turned back to Chihiro.

"Well, it's worth a shot!" Dino-Rang said as the others nodded.

So, everybody split up and faced towards the gate, their minds steady and powers at the ready. They stayed in place and breathed steady for a few seconds… Then all at once, they cried out and rammed themselves towards the gate! With their combined power, that gate barely lasted a minute—all the attacks had smashed a hole right in the center!

Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin fell out of the hole, then stood up and looked around.

This Stonetown place seemed like your typical mabu village, with lots of grass and rocks and humble wooden buildings abound. However, something had to have been very wrong, because everybody was in complete and utter panic!

"Help!" Cried a mabu man as they ran for their life, "Kaos's minions have invaded our humble town!"

"Alright buddy, spill it!" The Evil Dirt Shark demanded as it grabbed the mabu man by the collar of his shirt, "Where are you keeping the Eternal Earth Source?"

"I, I have no idea, I swear!"

"You don't, do you?" The Evil Dirt Shark bore its teeth, "I'm sure you'll change your mind when I make you my dinner!"

The mabu man screamed as the Evil Dirt Shark lunged towards it… But before it could even take a tiny nibble, a gigantic rock smashed into it and tossed it aside!

"You better knock it off, you creeps!" Bash exclaimed as he waved his tail, a broken stone pillar at his side, "Or else we'll _rock_ it off for you!"

Terrafin pinched the bridge of his snout while Dino-Rang groaned. But, their irritation lasted only a moment, for they lifted up their heads and smiled as the townspeople all began cheering!

"You guys just don't give up, do you?" The Evil Dirt Shark asked as it got up and snarled.

"Only in your dreams, buddy!" Terrafin smirked as he crossed his arms.

-"Evil Dirt Shark, what's wrong?" The Evil Crystal Golem asked as it and the Evil Rock Dragon ran to the Evil Dirt Shark's side, only to see the Skylanders and frown, "Oh, I see."

As the Skylanders and the evil minions got ready to face off, the villagers all fled for their lives! The Skylanders cried out as they shot towards the evil trio, as did the Evil Crystal Golem and Evil Rock Dragon… But the Evil Dirt Shark wasn't as quick to attack. Rather, it smiled a cunning smile as it watch the townspeople flock away from the scene of the fight, then dove into the earth and tunneled after them!

"Alright guys, where's the party at?" Chihiro exclaimed as she hopped through the hole.

However she got no answer, for Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin were too into the heat of the moment! But as she looked away, she saw… The Evil Dirt Shark, tunneling away?

"What's that dude up too?" Chihiro asked as she knelt down and sneaked after it.

As Chihiro crept behind the buildings and trees, her eyes trained on the Evil Dirt Shark's trail, she was lead to what seemed to be an entrance to some kind of tunnel… But it was completely blocked off by all the townspeople, it seemed like!

"Hey, you guys wouldn't have happened to see a weird-looking shark dude that's all purple and brown anywhere, would you?" Chihiro asked as she hopped into the crowds.

"Nope, can't say I have," replied a woman dressed in a fancy salmon suit and tie, "But, I'll keep my eyes peeled."

"After all," chimed in another townsperson, "We can't have villains wandering around where we're keeping the eternal earth source!"

Unbeknownst to them, someone was lurking in the shadows—the Evil Dirt Shark! It only chuckled as it eavesdropped on their conversation, then it slowly tunneled out and crept behind the crowds…

"There it is!" Chihiro exclaimed as she caught sight of the Evil Dirt Shark's fin!

The townspeople all broke into panic and chatter, but Chihiro had no time for that. So, she only teleported ahead of them and ran through the tunnel…

Meanwhile, Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin were still hard at work as they fought the Evil Rock Dragon and Evil Crystal Golem! Every blow they traded, every shot they dodged, everything was handled with a fiery intensity! But, something felt a bit wrong, like someone was missing…

"Hey, Fin!" Bash called as he smacked away a rock shot off by the Evil Rock Dragon, "Where'd that evil clone of you go?"

"Wait, it's gone?" Terrafin asked as it dodged a blow from the Evil Crystal Golem and punched it away, then looked around, "Yeah, it is!"

"And so is Chihiro!" Dino-Rang chimed in as he tossed away a boomerang.

"Alright, something smells fishy here!" Bash watched the stone pillars he had crafted recede, "We'd better—"

Bash yelped as he narrowly dodged a giant laser!

"Think you're getting away, Skylanders?" The Evil Crystal Golem asked as its raised his crystalline hands, which were charged with shining light, "THINK AGAIN!"

The Evil Crystal Golem shot off a round of lasers at Terrafin, but Terrafin was quick to dodge each one! Terrafin smirked as he pulled out a pair of brass knuckles, placed them on his fists, them held them in front of the lasers! The knuckles were quick to shoot the lasers back at the Evil Crystal Golem, who could only watch as its own lasers were used against it!

While the Evil Crystal Golem cried out in pain, the Evil Rock Dragon rolled in and slammed against the ground! With every slam, gigantic stone pillars shot from the ground and tossed themselves at the Skylanders!

Terrafin grunted as he dodged a pillar, then dove underground and swam 'till he was just inches away from the Evil Rock Dragon! Once he was in position, he leaped out and threw a punch… But it did absolutely nothing!

"The heck?!" Terrafin exclaimed.

"Forgot to tell you," The Evil Rock Dragon sneered as it tossed Terrafin aside, "I've got some pretty thick skin!"

Dino-Rang shot his boomerangs off at the Evil Rock Dragon, but that wasn't much use, either. The boomerangs just bounced off and returned to Dino-Rang!

"Don't you listen?!" The Evil Rock Dragon bore its teeth, "I'm far too tough for you puny attacks to ever—"

Before the Evil Rock Dragon could finish, however, something blurry and brown smashed into it and sent it reeling!

"Now, what were you saying?" Bash asked as he lorded over the Evil Rock Dragon.

The Evil Rock Dragon groaned as it tried to get off the ground, but only fell back on its side.

With their battle concluded, Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang ran into the depths of the village—and in a bit of an oversight, their enemies had been completely forgotten!

"After them, you rockhead!" The Evil Rock Dragon demanded as it finally got up and shook its head.

"Look who's talking, rockhead!" The Evil Crystal Golem shot back as it pulled itself back up.

"Whatever, just follow the Skylanders!" The Evil Rock Dragon scowled as it ran after Bash, Terrafin and Dino-Rang.

With a groan, the Evil Crystal Golem pulled itself back to its full height and chased after the Evil Rock Dragon…

§

The Evil Dirt Shark smirked as it popped out of the ground and looked up. It had found itself in a rich valley filled with grass and encompassed by large cliffs that loomed over the rest of the area and formed something that vaguely resembled an arena. But, none of that was important. The important thing was that hovered in the center of the area was none other than the Eternal Earth Source!

It was a smallish oval colored in a brown glow that had a number of rocky chunks trapped within its surface, an appearance that seemed more novelty than anything… But, the power that radiated from it was sheer and unrivaled! It was like it had the entirety of the Earth Element trapped within its light, and from it beamed a power so great that even the mighty cliffs bent before its will.

The Evil Dirt Shark licked its licks, then drew closer and closer to the Eternal Earth Source.

"Come to papa!" It proclaimed as it held out its arms, fully prepared to receive the Source until…

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM THE SOURCE THIS INSTANT!"

The Evil Dirt Shark jolted up and pulled itself away from the Eternal Earth Source, then whipped around and looked back at the tunnel.

With the light provided, one could just barely make out a childlike figure that raced out of the tunnel and into the open… And it was none other than Chihiro! Chihiro panted heavily, but stood tall and kept her fists barreled. Sheer determination flashed in her deep brown eyes as she glared down the Evil Dirt Shark, who only snarled as it looked back at her.

"Who's gonna stop me? _You_?" The Evil Dirt Shark insinuated with such a mocking tone, it was almost like it was about ready to laugh at Chihiro for even suggesting such a thing.

"You bet I am!" Chihiro raised her fist in front of her person and watched it flare with a cyan flame.

The Evil Dirt Shark only smiled as held its arms wide.

"You? Defeat me? Don't make me laugh!" The Evil Dirt Shark snickered, then glared Chihiro back down, "Oh wait… I JUST DID! After all, there's no way some snot-nosed brat like you could possibly defeat me, the strongest of Lord Kaos's—"—The Evil Dirt Shark's eyes widened as it jumped out the way of a gigantic aqua flame—"ACK!"

As the flame crashed into a nearly cliff face and disintegrated into embers, the Evil Dirt Shark turned back around and glared down Chihiro.

"Huh, actually, I've changed my mind." The Evil Dirt Shark cracked its knuckles and growled, "You wanna go, punk?"

"GLADLY!"

The Evil Dirt Shark lunged forward and opened its jaws as wide as it body, but Chihiro dodged out of the way as soon as it snapped its mouth shut! With it momentarily distracted, Chihiro placed her palm on its back and shot out an energy blast so strong it tossed the Evil Dirt Shark right into a cliff! The Evil Dirt Shark groaned as it pulled itself out of the cliff, which now had a shark-sized indent in its surface, and windmilled its arms! Chihiro heightened her fists and got ready to pull another punch, but before she could the Evil Dirt Shark jumped into the air!

With a groan it lunged down like a rocket, then let out of a series of punches towards the earth! With every punch it threw, the whole earth rumbled with intense quakes that caused the entire battlefield—and perhaps maybe even the entire island, too—to shake with terror!

Chihiro yelped as the shaking made her fall on her side, then grunted and pushed herself up. But as she did, the Evil Dirt Shark sprung right in front of her!

"Lights out, brat!" The Evil Dirt Shark exclaimed as it punched Chihiro in the gut!

Chihiro wailed in pain as she crashed into the stone walls of the cliffs and slid down, but nevertheless she pulled herself back to her feet. However, it was clear that she had taken a lot of damage from that single blow. Her legs trembled as she stood, and she heaved heavy breaths as she held her arm. Despite all this, she tried her best to look steely and intimidating, but the soft whimpers she made showed otherwise.

The Evil Dirt Shark only scoffed, then dove into the earth and zoomed towards Chihiro! It smiled as it popped out of the ground, but…

"Huh?!" The Evil Dirt Shark's mouth gaped open as it found that Chihiro was nowhere to be seen!

"Looking for me, chum bait?" Demanded Chihiro's voice from halfway across the arena, "Well, come and get me!"

The Evil Dirt Shark turned around as it fell back to the earth, but it only saw a cyan flare of magic! Just then, another cyan flare bloomed a few feet ahead of it, and it turned around just in time to see Chihiro manifest back into existence! Chihiro heaved a few sighs, then teleported to a further stretch of the makeshift arena… Then teleported against as the Evil Dirt Shark lunged once more… And yet again it tried to body slam her… However, something was wrong.

The moments between her teleports had gotten longer, and the range much, much shorter! Eventually, she fell to her knees and fizzled with cyan-colored sparks. She no longer had the energy to run away or fight, and this made her the perfect target.

The Evil Dirt Shark smirked as it rushed towards her and got ready to slam her with a punch. But before it could, it got beaned in the head with something and fell on its side!

"I'd watch yourself there, mate," called a familiar voice with an also familiar Australian accent as a wooden boomerang flew out of view, "Messin' with our portal master isn't gonna get'cha on our good side!"

"Dino-Rang!" Chihiro called as her eyes sparkled with hope!

Sure enough, out from the shadows stepped Dino-Rang with Terrafin and Bash close by! As Dino-Rang held his boomerangs high in the air, Terrafin and Bash both rushed to Chihiro's side and helped her back to her feet.

"You alright, kiddo?" Terrafin asked as he watched Chihiro jump up with a new vigor.

"Thanks to you guys!" Chihiro beamed and dusted herself off, "You arrived just in time!"

"There you are, Evil Dirt Shark!" Called two other voices that echoed from within the tunnel.

Everybody turned their eyes towards the tunnel, where a loud rumble reverberated through its walls! As this reverberation grew louder and louder, closer and closer, the Evil Rock Dragon and Evil Prism Golem popped out from the tunnel and surrounded the Evil Dirt Shark.

"What were you thinking, running off by yourself?!" The Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed as it pushed its face in the Evil Dirt Shark's, "Just because you're one of Lord Kaos's favorites doesn't mean you can leave all the dirty work to us!"

"Yeah!" The Evil Prism Golem affirmed as it crossed its arms, "Stop making us deal with your chores!"

"Hard work?!" The Evil Dirt Shark pushed the other two minions out of its face, "More like hardly working! While you two were busy playing with the Skylanders, I was going to get the Eternal Earth Source!"—the Evil Dirt Shark shot Chihiro a glare—"Or at last, I would've if that kid hasn't showed up!"

"Hah, stopped by a kid, huh?" The Evil Rock Dragon chuckled, "So much for being Lord Kaos's strongest minion, right!"

"You be quiet!" The Evil Dirt Shark growled a slung a punch straight at the Evil Rock Dragon and sent it on its back!

The Evil Rock Dragon growled, then pulled itself back up.

"ALRIGHT, YOU'RE ASKING FOR IT!"

As the two of them dissolved into one big ball of violence, the Skylanders and Chihiro shook their heads and sighed.

"Do those two ever stop fighting?" Chihiro asked as she cast an aside glance at the Skylanders.

"Somehow, I doubt it," Terrafin responded before he peered over at the Eternal Earth Source, "But hey, now's the perfect chance!"

He then dove into the earth and tunneled around the evil minions, his path and mind set on the Eternal Earth Source… But in all his intense tunneling, Terrafin had forgotten about one thing… And that thing was none other than the Evil Crystal Golem!

"Guys!" The Evil Crystal Golem exclaimed as it shook the other two evil clones, "Have you forgotten about something?!"

"WHAT?!" The Evil Dirt Shark and Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed as they pulled out of their petty fight.

The Evil Crystal Golem only grunted and gestured towards Terrafin, who was inches away from the Eternal Earth Source!

Both the Evil Dirt Shark and the Evil Rock Dragon's eyes widened with shock, then the Evil Rock Dragon growled and raised its tail.

"If those Skylosers think they can sneak out the Eternal Earth Source from under our noses…" The Evil Rock Dragon exclaimed as it slammed its tail against the ground, "Then they have another thing coming!"

The ground rumbled as the Evil Rock Dragon's tail slammed against its surface, and in turned it spat out an intense earthquake that made everybody else fall to their knees.

That is, with the exception of Terrafin. Rather, he was pushed out of the earth with a shout! As Terrafin fell on his back, he snarled and pulled himself off the ground. When he finally came to, he watched as the Evil Dirt Shark walked towards him with a smirk and a crack of its knuckles.

"Think you could pull a fast one on us, didn't ya?" The Evil Dirt Shark asked as it stopped just inches away from Terrafin.

"Not any more than you did!" Terrafin replied as he pounded a fist into his hand.

Chihiro winced as she watched Terrafin and the Dirt Shark's staredown, but before she could even take a step forwards she heard a duet of malevolent cackles! With a turn of her head, she watched the Evil Rock Dragon and Evil Crystal Golem approach her with what was surely all intent of starting of a fight!

Chihiro whimpered, but then steadied herself as she looked towards Bash and Dino-Rang and nodded.

It was a trio of square offs. Terrafin against the Evil Dirt Shark, Bash against the Evil Rock Dragon, and Chihiro and Dino-Rang teamed up against the Evil Crystal Golem. There was a steady silence as they all stared down…

Then finally, Terrafin slung a punch at the Evil Dirt Shark and all heck broke loose!

The Evil Dirt Shark grunted as it dodged Terrafin's punch, then shot a jab back at Terrafin, but Terrafin only backed away and shot forwards! The Evil Dirt Shark swung past Terrafin, then slid forward and got ready to trip him. But unfortunately for it, Terrafin was a little too vigilant! He only backflipped out of the way as the Evil Dirt Shark slid against the grass.

"Sorry buddy…" Terrafin shot forwards as the Evil Dirt Shark stood up, "But this isn't kickboxing!"

As he said this, Terrafin slung a cross right at the Evil Dirt Shark's chest and flung it back several feet! The Evil Dirt Shark coughed out something that looked like murky purple clouds of magic as it staggered back up, then growled and shot out a rapid round of punches! While Terrafin dodged each and every one, however, another similar battle of duplicates occurred not that far away from where they stood!

Both Bash and the Evil Rock Dragon were furled into balls as the Evil Rock Dragon chased Bash around the arena, all at such intense speeds that dusty clouds and bits of earth flew everywhere they raced! With a growl, Bash sped up a nearby wall, but the Evil Rock Dragon only tailed him up the wall as well! As the Evil Rock Dragon rolled up the cliff face, Bash stopped short and dug his claws into the thick stone of the cliff side. He then slammed his tail straight into the cliff, which created a vibration so intense it tossed the Evil Rock Dragon back onto the ground!

As the Rock Dragon stumbled backwards, Bash curled back into a ball and stormed down the cliff! Before it could even blink, Bash had slammed right into it and tossed it right into the adjacent cliff! The Evil Rock Dragon slammed into the cliff with such force that it left behind a decently-sized crater, then it growled and furled itself into a ball. Once it had fully curled, it started jumping into the air and smashing itself into the ground! With every slam, it created intense vibrations that shook Bash right off of his feet!

As Bash fell onto the ground, the Evil Rock Dragon chuckled and rolled right towards him. But before it could even get an inch closer to Bash, a gigantic magical fist punched it out of its path!

While the Evil Rock Dragon groaned and stumbled, Chihiro smirked and blew off her hands like one would a smoking gun. She made a smile as she gave Bash a thumbs up, but that smile was short-lived as she dodged out the way of a gigantic green laser! With a grunt Chihiro fell to her knees, then looked over to see the Evil Crystal Golem!

It spun around at speeds so high it was little more than a blur to the untrained eye! And worse yet, it was firing off lasers in every given direction with each spin.

"Sorry buddy," Chihiro panted as she held up hands still bright with magic, "But your little light show is gonna have to—WHOA, WHOA!"

Chihiro's attack came to a quick stop as several lasers shot right towards her! With panicked movements she bounced out the way of one, pirouetted from the next then spun away from the rest… Right into the arms of Dino-Rang!

"Careful, Chi!" Dino-Rang warned as he let Chihiro go, "This isn't a dance floor!"

"Don't have much of a choice!" Chihiro gestured towards the Evil Crystal Golem, then yelped as another laser shot off just inches away from her back, "That thing's shooting its lasers everywhere!"

"Everywhere, huh?" Dino-Rang fixed his eyes on the Evil Crystal Golem and clapped his hands, "I'll take care'a that!"

As the sound of his clap echoed through the arena, gigantic stone walls formed around the Evil Crystal Golem and completely blocked it and its lasers from the rest of the battle!

Dino-Rang and Chihiro cheered and high-fived, but as they did a loud rumble pulled them away from their celebrations. They stood and watched for moments, then ducked and ran for cover as gigantic green crystals sprung from the earth and shattered the stone traps to bits!

The large chunks of stone flew everywhere, from the heights of the skies to the nearby cliffs, even to the other battles that were going on!

"Huh?!" Terrafin exclaimed as he ducked under a large chunk of stone, only to be punched across the fields by the Evil Dirt Shark.

"Where'd that come from?!" Bash exclaimed as a stone chunk whizzed past his head, which gave the Evil Rock Dragon just enough time to slam into him and send him flying as well!

"Terrafin, Bash!" Chihiro called as she watched the two of them crash into a nearby wall. Just then, a large crystal popped out below Chihiro's feet and sent her rolling backwards!

With a shout she crashed right into Terrafin and Bash, then shook her head and caught Dino-Rang as he was flung into their pile as well! The four of them staggered back up... But as soon as they did, the evil clones crowded around them with the full intent to attack! However, the quartet was far from ready to give up. Rather, they laid the first blows as they jumped forward and pushed them to the ground!

Terrafin grunted, then punched the Evil Dirt Shark in the face! As it recoiled, Terrafin grabbed it by its legs, swung it around and slammed it back into the wall!

While the Evil Dirt Shark slid down, its whole body slowly melted into a large collection of dimly-lit brown spheres. However, it showed no signs of sorrow or rage or frustration… Rather, it just smirked.

"You think you've gotten rid of me, huh?" The Evil Dirt Shark remarked as it looked back up at Terrafin, its body now half-gone, "Don't make me laugh!"

As its head sank into the rest of its body, then Evil Dirt Shark only cackled.

"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME!"

Terrafin only grimaced as the Evil Dirt Shark finally disappeared into a pile of dull brown spheres.

"That was kinda creepy," Terrafin remarked as he watched over the spheres.

Meanwhile, Bash had rolled straight into the Evil Rock Dragon and sandwiched it between himself and a wall! As Bash pushed it against the wall then released, then Evil Rock Dragon fell on its side while a large, gaping cut leaked out identical dull brown spheres.

"You really think you've won, haven't you?" The Evil Rock Dragon croaked as it glared up at Bash, "You're so, so, wrong…"

Bash only winced as he watched the Evil Rock Dragon explode into spheres. Bash then turned around and watched as the Evil Crystal Golem was tossed into the sky from one of Dino-Rang's stone traps!

The Evil Crystal Golem crashed back into the ground with a crunch, then as those same spheres popped out of its body it snickered.

"I'll come to haunt you!" It proclaimed as it exploded into spheres as well!

But with that, all became quiet on the battlefield. No words were heard as Chihiro and the Skylanders gazed over the brown spheres that were all that remained of their former foes. It felt almost, kind of wrong…

"Huh," Chihiro remarked at last with a shrug, "That was… Oddly easy,"—Chihiro shook her head and beamed up at the Eternal Earth Source—"But, whatever. Time to get the Earth Source!"

Chihiro hummed an unknown song as she skipped up to the Eternal Earth Source and reached her arms out towards it… Then got pushed back by a sudden wind! Chihiro yelped as she dug her heels into the ground, then gasped as the piles of brown spheres got sucked into the Eternal Earth Source!

As soon as they entered the Source, a purple fog clouded around it. It was awfully ominous as it absorbed the Earth Source whole and pulsated like a heart in one's chest. Then, as it pulsed, the winds that whipped around the Eternal Earth Source evolved into an intense dust storm!

The storm was so powerful, so intense it had no problem blowing Chihiro off her feet and spinning her around the arena!

"HEY!" Chihiro exclaimed as the winds tossed her as if she was no more than a ragdoll, "LEMME GO! YOU'RE MAKING ME DIZZYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY—OOF!"

Chihiro grunted as something snatched her out of the storm and pulled her into its arms, then smiled as she looked up and saw Terrafin! The two of them landed back onto the ground without hassle, then looked up and winced.

The storm had grown so violent it had started pulling off parts of the arena itself! Huge chunks of earth, gigantic stones, shiny crystals and much more were all drawn from their places and into the eye of the storm. Then slowly, they slammed together, shaped by some unseen force with the precision of a toddler smashing toy clay together.

While the earthen bits slapped together, a large shadow cast itself over Chihiro and the Skylanders, who all stepped back… Then gasped as a loud, angry roar bellowed through their humble, wartorn arena!

§

Everybody winced as they gazed up at the strange monster that was once the Eternal Earth Source.

It had to have been as tall as the valley's highest cliffs, with its body made of massive gray stones occasionally decorated by veins of brown magic, thick moss and sparkly treasure that stuck out from the many crevices in its rocky body like eyes in a cavern. Its eyes were blank, white and reflected no light, and its stone jaw was slanted into a frown. Rounded, smooth horns that vaguely resembled shark fins poked out from its head and shoulders, while its fingers were shiny and almost crystalline in appearance. It stood in silence as it loomed over the quartet, its eyes glinted with maybe the weensiest bit of malevolence… Then its frown grew deeper… And then all hell broke loose!

The monster was really no more than a toddler throwing a temper tantrum as it screamed out in anger, stomped its feet and flailed its massive arms everywhere! With every stomp the ground shook in fury, and with every flail the cliffs shook and released fragments of hard stone.

"Jeez, what did we ever do to him?" Chihiro asked as she rolled out the way of a small boulder.

"Beats me," Terrafin said as he cracked his knuckles and wound up his arm, "But he's still going down!"

With a fierce punch from his arm, Terrafin sent a round of boulders from above shooting towards the rock monster! He smiled as the rocks slammed into the monster's chest and tossed it into the nearby cliff… But his smile faded as the monster wailed out in anger and stomped its feet with an even greater fury than before!

Chihiro burst into screams as the massive force from the monster's stomps sent her and the others flying, then she cast her gaze aside and gasped!

There above them all, a gigantic landslide poured down from the cliffs above!

Chihiro pressed a glowing hand against her chest, cast it out and shot three blasts of cyan magic towards Terrafin, Bash, and Dino-Rang. The moment the magic made contact, it hardened into magical blue bubbles! The three of them paused for a moment and examined the bubbles, while Chihiro smiled and waved back at them. This peace was far too fleeting, however, as the landslide made contact and tossed them all across the arena like they were living pinballs! They all screamed as they were thrown to and fro… However, because the bubbles were completely soundproof, nothing could be heard.

When the landslide settled, its dust and wreckage left all across the battlegrounds, Chihiro and the Skylanders crashed into the ground! Their bubbles popped immediately, and the four of them were left to fall to the floor.

"Heh, sorry about that, guys," Chihiro said as she scratched the back of her head, a luminescent red blush on her face.

Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang just moaned and pulled themselves to their feet, then looked up as a large, round shadow cast itself over the battleground!

"Rock shower!" Bash exclaimed as a series of large boulders rained down from the heavens.

Bash growled, then wagged his tail and slammed it straight into the first boulder to come within his distance!

The boulder, in response, flew back into the heavens and slammed straight into the next! That boulder flung into the next one, and in turn that one hit the one before it! Soon enough, all of the boulders had flown back to the monster that had sent them Bash's way in the first place and crashed!

However, the monster was far from deterred. It only punched the boulders to bits, then looked towards Chihiro and the Skylanders with a bone-chilling glare as its crystal fingers swirled with magic. With a growl, it summoned gigantic boulders to its hands and tossed them into the fray!

As rocks fell from above once more, Chihiro ran towards the others and cast a shield above them.

"Once again," Chihiro exclaimed as she pushed the shield up, "What did WE ever do to you?!"

"Exist, apparently," Terrafin scoffed as he examined the monster from the safety of Chihiro's shield.

Chihiro followed Terrafin's gaze and frowned just as bit as she examined the monster.

"How are we supposed to beat that thing, anyways?!" Chihiro heaved heavy pants while her hands glowed even brighter, "Those boulders are way too strong and fast for us to break!"

Terrafin was silent, seemingly ignorant to the muffled sounds of crashing boulders and Chihiro's surprised squeaks. His eyes were fixed on the boulders as they rolled down the grassy plains one by one, as if he was analyzing it almost.

"I think I've found your answer." Terrafin looked back at Chihiro and ushered her over to his side.

Chihiro frowned, then warily lowered her hands and walked next to Terrafin, her eyes fixed on the boulders. She was so firm on watching the rock monster, she didn't even notice Bash and Dino-Rang walk up towards her and do the very same thing, even!

"Look at the way Rocky here is throwing those boulders," Terrafin said as he looked towards Chihiro and smirked, "There's a pattern!"

Chihiro hummed and narrowed her eyes.

The boulders all rolled down the way, but a further inspection showed there was, indeed, a pattern to how the monster had thrown them! A boulder thrown to the left first, right second, then left again but never in the center…

"That's it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked back at Terrafin with sparkling eyes, "If we just avoid them, we can still reach it!"

"Exactly!" Terrafin smiled and readied a fist, then punched it straight through Chihiro's shield!

As the shield shattered to magical dusty bits, the four of them jumped out and stared down the rock monster.

The rock monster growled, then summoned another boulder and cast it down…

"LEFT!" Chihiro exclaimed as they all ran down the battlefield in a right-facing line!

The boulder rolled straight into the lefthand cliffs and bounced to the right, an intense tailwind blown from the force of its journey!

Chihiro, Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang all immediately froze in their tracks, then jumped away and watched as the boulder passed them by! The only thing it did was hit them with an intense breeze!

The monster scowled, summoned yet another large boulder and tossed it…

"Left!" Chihiro shouted, then stumbled back as the boulder slammed into the rightmost cliff face and swerved left, "I mean, right!"

With a hup from all parties, they jumped out the way of the boulder, then dashed back up the path!

The monster stomped and howled once more, then summoned a trio of boulders and tossed them all down the way!

"Left!" Chihiro grabbed Dino-Rang's hand and pulled him out the way as they all dodged the first, then hopped forward as the second passed them by, "Right!"

As they all swerved out of the final boulder's path of devastation, the monster's mouth gaped wide open and its arms fell to its sides.

"Guys, now's your chance!" Chihiro exclaimed as she propelled an energy beam at the monster.

The energy beam slammed straight into the monster's chest and caused it to reel back. It hung its head low as it wailed in pain, then finally it looked up and staggered back Because right in front of it were none other than Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang! Bash and Dino-Rang both summoned rows of stone pillars that lead straight to the monster itself, then Terrafin corkscrewed through the air and punched each pillar!

The broken fragments of the pillar slammed straight into the monster, who fell on its bottom from the sheer force.

They all sneered, but their sneers quickly faded as the monster screamed and lunged forward! For a monster made of stone, it was surprisingly swift to grab Bash and Dino-Rang and toss them both to the ground!

Bash and Dino-Rang both screamed as they flew down, only to harmlessly bounce onto the ground from a large bounce pad!

As Terrafin joined, their gaze fell to a smiling Chihiro, who only gave them a thumbs up as she giggled.

While they stood, the monster growled and stomped its feet once more! It stomped and jumped and whined in some kind of perfect fury as the vibrations from its stomps shot Chihiro and the Skylanders back… But oddly enough, nothing else happened.

"What's the matter, mate?" Dino-Rang shouted as he made a smug smile, "Ran out of rocks?"

Just then, a screeching sound resounded from the heavens while shadows fell all across the ground!

Dino-Rang looked up and jumped back as a large rock slammed into the ground below!

"Ack!" Dino-Rang flung his arms in front of his face as rocky fragments flew everywhere.

More rocks rained down from above and prompted everyone to jump back and forth! Screams were heard all around as this stone shower continued, until finally, Chihiro jumped in and created a shield for them all. As she held the shield up, Chihiro heaved heavy pants. With all the magic tricks she had pulled today, she was clearly worn—even just carrying up this shield was taking all her power!

So, Bash and Dino-Rang flanked both sides of Chihiro, then carefully pressed up the shield themselves! Chihiro breathed as she sat down and collected her energy right, then made a weak smile as she looked back up at them.

"Thanks, guys…" Chihiro's smile faded to a look of confusion as the shadows vanished from the grounds.

Everybody all looked around, and sure enough the rock shower had ended at last! At least, they _thought _it had ended. After all, the monster was oddly silent, and the rain _had_ stopped...

"Is it over?…" Chihiro looked up, only to see a giant shadow encompass them and wince, "Nope!"

They all leaped out the way as a gigantic boulder crashed into their former spot, then shielded themselves as it shattered into rocky fragments. But unfortunately, they didn't have time to dust themselves off—for the rain was unrelenting!

As they jumped about once more, Chihiro magicked up a helmet for herself and got ready to put it on. But before she could, the helmet cracked and shattered as a small rock hit it!

"Dangit!" Chihiro exclaimed as she teleported away.

Chihiro reappeared under a cliff, then she hid behind a stone and watched the others dodge. Her attention then turned itself to the monster, who was still all the more glad to make it rain.

"How're we gonna stop that thing now?" Chihiro frowned and bit her lip, "There's no way we can reach it with all this…"—Chihiro's eyes fixed on the boulders—"Rain?"

Chihiro gripped the rock she hid behind a little tighter.

"I wonder… Could I use that rain against it?" Chihiro breathed in, then let go and framed her hands, "I can try!"

Chihiro glowed a bright cyan, then thrust out her hands.

It started with one, then three, then maybe five… But slowly, the rocks stopped raining and shot themselves at the monster! As the monster got slammed with a taste of its own medicine, it reeled back in pain—and the rain ground to a firm halt!

"Guys, now!" Chihiro advised as she popped out from behind her stone, "Before it starts again!"

Bash, Terrafin and Dino-Rang nodded towards Chihiro, then rushed into the fray!

Terrafin was the first as he dove underground, then swam up and uppercut the monster in the jaw!

As the monster stumbled back, Bash swung forward and slams his tail into its chest! The monster shuddered as it fells to its stone knees, several of its rocks loose and rattled… Then those rocks finally fell off as Dino-Rang shot his boomerangs at them!

Everybody caught their breath as the monster moaned and fell down, its arms the only thing that kept it from completely crashing. All around them, the fallen rocks crashed into the battlefield, now physical markers of the damage done.

"Is it done for?" Bash asked, an optimistic smile on his face.

Unfortunately Bash guessed wrong, because the fallen rocks rattled and drew in more rocks from their surroundings! As the rocks gathered together, they slowly but surely made forms of their own—miniature clones of the main monster!

"Guess not!" Bash exclaimed as he stepped back.

"Great," Terrafin scoffed as he pounded his fists together, "It has kids!"

Terrafin, Bash and Dino-Rang went to clean out the smaller monsters, but in the heat of the fight, they didn't notice the main one pull itself back to its feet!

Now completely recovered, the main monster pounded its gigantic fists against the cliffs! The whole arena rumbled as gigantic parts of the cliffs dislodged and birthed rockslides of a shatteringly large degree!

Terrafin tried to punch one of the smaller monsters, but before he did he caught sight of the rockslide! Terrafin dove underground, then breathed a sigh of relief as he swam out of the way… Only to get sucker punched by another smaller monster instead!

Bash, meanwhile, winced and stepped back as the smaller monsters backed him into a literal corner. With a grunt, he slammed his tail onto the ground and popped them away with his stone pillars! He smiled as they flew away, only to freeze and gulp as a loud rumble was heard.

"That can't be good," Bash remarked as he looked up, only for a gigantic landslide to collapse over him!

"Bash!" Dino-Rang exclaimed as he watched Bash get swallowed whole by the landslide.

When the rockslide finally settled, Bash popped his dizzy head out of its wreckage and moaned. His head swiveled from here to there as if he wasn't fully conscious—which, given the circumstances, wasn't too unlike to be the case.

"I'm… Okay…" Bash groaned as he passed out on the stones, "Ugh."

Dino-Rang winced as he got ready to collect Dino-Rang, but before he could several of the smaller monsters dogpiled him to the ground!

Chihiro, meanwhile, was far from the monsters' conflict—because she was dealing with a conflict of her own as she dodged the falling rocks.

"Geez, this is dragging on way too long!" Chihiro shouted in between the sound of rampages and rockslides.

"No kidding!" Dino-Rang agreed as he popped out of the mini-monster pile and looked towards the main monster, "This bloke's too resilient for its own good… After all, we took out most of its body! What else is there?!"—Dino-Rang glazed over the large monster—"But not its head…"

As Dino-Rang watched the monster, the gap between its head and neck glowed a bright brown! A brown so striking, so magical in color, it just had to be the light of...

"That's it!" Dino-Rang boomeranged away the mini monsters, then rushed towards where the others were still fighting.

"Mates, I got an idea!" Dino-Rang pulled Terrafin, Chihiro and Bash into a huddle, then directed their attention to the largest monster, "See that glow?"

Chihiro, Terrafin and Bash pay their attention to the glow.

"Wait a second," Chihiro realized, her brown eyes wide and bright, "That's gotta be…"

"The Eternal Earth Source!" Terrafin finished.

"My thoughts exactly," Dino-Rang said as he crossed his arms, "So listen."

As everybody drew closer, Dino-Rang whispered a plan to them then smiled as they withdrew. However, his smile quickly vanished when he notes the others' wary looks.

"Don't get me wrong, Dino-Rang. It's a rock solid idea, but…" Bash said as he gulped and looked behind only to scramble forwards, "WE'VE STILL GOT THE LITTLE GUYS HERE!"

Sure enough, Bash was right—the mini-monsters had banded together, and they were still raring to fight!

"Just leave it to me!" Chihiro chirped with a smile!

Chihiro cracked her knuckles, then teleported in front of the mini monsters and lifted them with her magic! When they were firmly in her grasp, she tossed them right at the monster! Chihiro smiled back at the Skylanders and gave them a thumbs up, only to yelp as the monster started chasing her!

"NOW!" Dino-Rang yelled.

Bash rolled in front of Chihiro and shot into the monster, which crashed it back against the wall! As it staggered up, Bash repeatedly jumped up slammed down into it till it finally fell unconscious.

"Dino-Rang!" Bash called as he looked back at Dino-Rang.

"On it!" Dino-Rang shouted back as he gripped his boomerangs tight. With it stopped, Dino-Rang shot his boomerangs at the monster!

The boomerangs struck the monster with such might, such force, that it cried out in agony as a gigantic crack formed in its head!

While the monster wailed and sobbed, Dino-Rang walked up to Terrafin and slapped his hand! Terrafin ran further, then as he drew closer Dino-Rang summoned a stone that launched Terrafin to the skies! Terrafin soared up for moments, the dive-bombed onto the monster's shoulders. As he got situated, he latched onto the cracked part of the monster's head and began heaving. But even with his strength, it was still a struggle!

"Fin, what's up?" Bash exclaimed as popped up from one of his own stone pillars and landed beside Terrafin.

"It's this head!" Terrafin strained as he continued to pull the head up, "It's pretty darn heavy…"

So, Bash and Dino-Rang joined in lifting the head… But even with their help, it was still unwilling to budge!

And Chihiro noted this quite well from her position on the ground, so she magicked up a bounce pad, then leaped onto the shoulder!

"Times like these call for some superstrength!" Chihiro chirped as she snapped her fingers!

As her snap resounded through the valley, Bash, Dino-Rang and Terrafin all glowed with a brilliant aqua light! With one last grunt, they flung the head off with ease!

Inside the body was a hollow stone chamber just big enough to house all of them... And the Eternal Earth Source, which hovered in the center of the body!

All four of them slid inside the chamber and basked in the Eternal Earth Source's glow. Well, they would've, but its light was choked out by an ominous purple fog!

Terrafin reached out to grab the Source, but before he could grab it his hand was shot with several purple sparks!

"Yeowch!" Terrafin exclaimed as he reeled back, "What's your problem?"

"It's probably still affected by that bad magic," Chihiro reasoned as she rubbed her hands, "Let me try!"

Chihiro's hands glowed as she gently embraced the Eternal Earth Source. The Earth Source, in turn, glowed with a bright, all-encompassing light that forced everyone to shield their eyes.

When they finally opened their eyes, they were greeted to the best sight they could've seen! The damage was cleaned and the monster was gone—All that was left was a gigantic pile of treasure!

They all basked in the beauty of the cleansed area… Then it hit them that they were hovering in midair and dropped down! Thankfully, the treasure pile was more than enough to cushion their fall—they only popped their heads out of it and laughed.

"That's another Eternal Source out of Kaos's hands, guys!" Chihiro proclaimed as she held up the Eternal Earth Source, then looked over all the treasure they had landed in, "Say, what're we gonna do with all this treasure, anyways?"

"I have an idea…" Terrafin said as he smiled and picked up some coins.

§

While the Skylanders warred away inside, the townsfolk of Stonetown crowded around the entrance, their breath bated as they looked into its depths. The tunnel itself was far too dark to catch any glimpse of the other side, so all they had to go on for the Skylanders' progress in the fight against Kaos's cronies were the sounds of battle that reverberated around the tunnel's walls.

All was silent as heartbeats became the only sound heard for moment… Then the vague sound of digging or tunneling echoed through the halls! The crowd stepped backwards as if they were one, fully ready to attack any possible ne'er-do-wells that popped out of its dark depths.

But, much to their relief, Terrafin popped out instead!

"Skylander!" Cried a mabu man dressed in mining clothes and a thick helmet, "Were you able to retrieve the Eternal Earth Source?"

"See for yourself, buddy," Terrafin replied as he pointed a clawed hand back at the tunnel.

There, Bash and Dino-Rang heaved out large piles of gold, jewels and other treasures, while Chihiro stepped out after them and presented the Eternal Earth Source for all to see!

As the crowds cheered, Terrafin walked up to a finely-dressed woman who appeared to be the town's mayor and gestured towards the slowly-growing pile of treasure.

"That treasure was what was left behind after we beat up that monster," Terrafin explained as he looked back at the pile.

"Monster?" The mayor repeated as she tilted her head slightly and frowned.

"Eh, don't worry about it! We've got it all taken care of!" Terrafin brushed a fist against his chest then cleared his throat, "Anyways, we've talked abut it, and we want you guys to keep the prize money!"

"Really?" The mayor stepped past Terrafin to look at the treasure, then turned and looked at him as if she still wasn't entirely certain he was honest, "All of it?"

"Yep!" Chihiro interrupted as she hopped into the conversation—literally, "We don't really need all _that _money…"

"And besides," Terrafin added as he gently pushed Chihiro back, "Think of it as us saying thanks for gettin' back the Earth Source for us!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you kind Skylander!" The mayor said as she grabbed Terrafin's hand and rapidly shook it, "With all this treasure, Stonetown should be well off for a _very _long time! We can't possibly thank you enough!"

"I think you already have." Terrafin clenched his fangs and withdrew his hand from the mayor's grasp.

"Ey, there you all are!" Flynn exclaimed as he strode through the crowds and laid an arm around Terrafin's shoulders, "I was wondering if you'd show up! Of course, I wasn't too worried. You guys are pretty awesome!"—Flynn then winked—"Almost as awesome as I am!"

Terrafin only rolled his eyes.

"Anyways." Flynn straightened his lapel as he let go of Terrafin, "That isn't why I came to find you guys!"—Flynn walked back out of the crowd and ushered for the others to follow—"Come on, I've got something to show you!"

Chihiro and Terrafin looked at each other, shrugged, then followed Flynn back out of the crowds.

Flynn's short parade had lead them to none other than his balloon, except it had been completely polished up and repaired! It was so impressive, it was almost like it had never been blown to smithereens in the first place!

"Those townspeople fixed up ol' Balloony for me while you guys were kicking evil butt!" Flynn explained as he leaned against the basket and rapped his fist on its rim, "I'd have to give them credit, I almost couldn't do a better job!"

Chihiro only chuckled.

"As cool as it is, we do need to get back home," Chihiro reminded as she hopped up to Flynn, "We have an Eternal Source to return to the Core of Light and all!"

As they overheard this, a few stray townsfolk let out disappointed sighs and crowded around Flynn.

"Does that mean we won't get the hear the end of your boomtastic tales of adventure?" Asked one man.

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut the stories short for now, buddy," Flynn replied with a gentle glint in his eyes, "But don't be too sad! If I ever come back, I'll be sure to fill you in on what happens next!"

The townspeople cheered and dispersed, but unlike the joyous civilians Terrafin and Chihiro were more confused as they looked at Flynn.

"Boomtastic tales of adventure?" Chihiro repeated in a tone that implied she almost didn't believe what she heard.

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Terrafin questioned as he crossed his arms.

"Well, while you guys were fighting, I was regaling the citizens here of my tales of epic heroism and escapades!" Flynn dusted his chest off with his fist, "Oh, but don't worry, I made sure to tell them all about how you guys helped me along the way!"

"_Your _tales of epic heroism?…" Terrafin and Chihiro whispered in unison as they cast Flynn tired glares.

"Either way, we should probably be going!" Flynn hopped into the basket of his newly-repaired balloon and waved, "Come on!"

Chihiro whistled towards Dino-Rang and Bash, then hopped into the balloon and slunk against its side. Her eyes were fixed on the Eternal Earth Source and nothing else as she sat in the balloon, to the point where it seemed like she didn't even notice the Skylanders' boarding and the balloon's takeoff. As they flew through the vast skies on their merry way home, however, Chihiro paused and dug through her pocket.

Chihiro made a soft smile, then pulled out a shiny red jewel about the size of her thumb. As it shone against the warm colors of eventide, Chihiro admired its bright shine before she stowed it away once more…

§

"You know, we really _rocked _those guys' world!" Chihiro quipped as she held the Eternal Earth Source tight in her arms.

"You bet we did!" Bash replied with a toothy grin, "They looked so shocked, it was like we hit them with an _earthquake_!"

"But, it wasn't as impressive as when you beat up that monster thingie! It was a _landslide _victory!"

Terrafin pinched his brow as Chihiro and Bash continued to sling absolutely atrocious earth-related puns, quips and all other sorts of jokes at each other. Who knew so many bad puns could come out of just two people?

In fact, it almost—_almost_—distracted him from the also quite nerve-wracking experience that was flying in Flynn's balloon. It's not that he was scared of flying or anything, no, that was ridiculous! He just wouldn't exactly rank flights in his top ten methods or travel, especially flights with the "best pilot in all Skylands."

(Somedays, Terrafin wondered if Flynn got that title out of a cereal box)

Nevertheless, the balloon trip had thankfully come to a speedy end! Flynn bumped his balloon's basket against the massive stone pillars that signaled the specially-made parking spot for his balloon… and sending every other passenger rolling down the way.

"Dude, watch where you're flying!" Terrafin exclaimed as he clung to the side of the basket.

"But, I was!" Flynn proclaimed as he adjusted the lapel of his jacket, "You see, Terrafin, that was an advanced flying technique for the ages, one that only—"

Flynn stopped short as Terrafin shot him a glare.

"Anyways." Flynn made a gulp, "We're home!"

Chihiro giggled as she held the Eternal Earth Source, a moment of pause taken to stroke its surface.

As Terrafin glanced over the Source, he made a slightly alarmed smile. Something about being so close to the thing that makes up the very essence of your element has a way of humbling you. Not that he cared much. Quite frankly, he was just glad that another Eternal Source was out of that punk Kaos's hands and back into theirs!

"I gotta show Spyro this!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaped out of the basket, "He'll be so happy!"

Chihiro had raced forwards, likely to find Spyro… But instead, she crash-collided into Hugo as he hauled a lengthy stack of books across the island. Paper and paperbacks alike leaped into the air as a dizzy Chihiro and Hugo stood under their rain.

"Chihiro!" Hugo exclaimed as he jumped up and collected his books, "Did you…"

Hugo looked down, then jumped back as he saw the Eternal Earth Source lay on the ground.

"Goodness, I'm quite sorry, Eternal Earth Source!" Hugo's eyes widened as it hit him what he just said, "The Eternal Earth Source! You got it!"

"It's not a person, Hugo," Terrafin remarked as he jumped out of the basket with Bash and Dino-Rang close behind him, "You don't need to apologize to it."

Hugo just shook his head and dropped his books to the ground so he himself could pick up the Earth Source. He must've been really excited to see it if he did that! Hugo cared about his books more than he did life itself, Terrafin was almost certain.

"How did the mission go?" Hugo asked as he stroked the Eternal Earth Source, "Did you have any trouble?"

"Eh, nothing we couldn't handle." Terrafin placed a hand on Chihiro's shoulder, "Right, Chi?"

"You bet!" Chihiro shouted as she jumped into the air and pumped her fist, "We sent those guys running back to Kaos with their tails between their legs!"

"Nevertheless, we should make haste in adding it to the Core," Hugo said as he thrust the Earth Source back in Chihiro's arms and ran off, "I'll go get the book!"

Hugo ran off in such a haste that it immediately drew everyone's attention to the Skylanders and Chihiro! As the others crowded around them, Chihiro hid the Eternal Earth Source behind her back in a kind of teasing manner, like a kid hiding a present from their friend… Or a frog from their parent. Terrafin had to admit, he couldn't help but smile seeing her so eager and excited. It reminded him a little bit of when he was a kid, almost.

"Chihiro!" Spyro called as he flew up to Chihiro, an outlier in the massive crowds, "How'd it go?"

"Well…" Chihiro whispered as she leaned in forwards and looked around, then retrieved the Eternal Earth Source from behind her back, "See for yourself, Golden Boy!"

Spyro's eyes widened in awe the moment he saw the Eternal Earth Source, as did everyone else's. The excitement had kinda worn off for Terrafin after the first hour, personally, but seeing them talk about and get all excited over the next Eternal Source did have a renewing feeling to it.

"Alright!" Hugo shouted as he stumbled out of the portal building with a worn book in hand, "Let's get started!"

The crowd of Skylanders parted to make way for Hugo, and then Hugo and Chihiro as the two of them stepped towards the Core of Light. Terrafin pushed past the crowds to the front, then crossed his arms and watched in silence.

The process was really, no different than the few other times he had seen—Chihiro had placed the Eternal Earth Source at the stone platform base of the incomplete Core, then Hugo coughed his throat and recited some weird, ancient chant in a language that was probably deader than dinosaurs.

_Well, most dinosaurs, anyways, _Terrafin thought as he cast an amused glance towards Dino-Rang, who held an intense conversation with Bash.

Terrafin watched them for a few seconds, then an intense whir like the sound of a machine coming to life pulled him away from his thoughts!

When he looked back at the Core of Light, the Crystal Eye that rested at its very top shone with an intense light for a few seconds… Then a gigantic, colorful laser unlike any Terrafin had ever seen shot out its spout, almost like it marked the Core as a beacon for hope for all those around! Or something poetic like that.

"Well, we're nearly halfway done, guys!" Chihiro shouted as she bounded over and hugged Spyro tight, "Man, that's exciting!"

"Sure is, Chi," Terrafin chuckled as he stepped over and patted Chihiro on the back, then stopped to bask in the Core of Light's wonder.

"Sure is."


	14. Chapter 14

**Welcome one, welcome all to the fourteenth chapter of CHS! This and the following chapters are actually chapters I've been very excited to share with you all, so I hope you like them! Also as a note, this chapter contains a few fairly intense bullying scenes, so if that's something you're personally uncomfortable with feel free to sit out or DM for a summary!**

**Watch Seeker: Honestly, your question is something I've wondered too, and partly why I covered the other clones here! My best guess is that maybe the developers thought having a Kaos fight for every Eternal Source would get kind of repetitive after a while, since I know that was definitely a concern of mine when writing the evil clones—and with the way the Kaos boss fights were structured they had a little less artistic freedom with them than I did. But nevertheless, at least they're here!**

* * *

The temperature was surprisingly warm for the Skylanders' corner of Skylands being in the autumn today, not that anyone complained. The cheery warmth of the sun brought everybody energy as they patrolled the island for danger, jumped to missions and back again, sought out the missing parts of the Core of Light or just did some autumnal cleaning. And that was especially true for Chihiro, who hummed along to some kind of song as she heaved a stack of thick books across the heart of Ancient's Peak! With a smile she tossed the books down on the dewy grass and flopped down alongside them. She then pulled out a book with a red leather cover that had various runes engraved on it in gold and laid it on her lap.

"Now let's see," Chihiro mumbled as she tapped her finger on her cheek, "If that one's b, and that's e, then…"

Chihiro smiled as her eyes lit up.

"_The Beginner's Guide to Advanced Magic Spells_, this should be a good book to start off with!" Chihiro turned the page and glazed over its worn illustrations and writing, partly proud that her attempts at learning Skylandian were paying off at last, "Now let's see…"—Chihiro brushed a finger over its first page—"Invisibility! That should be a good place to start!"

Chihiro let out a determined cry as she focused her heart and mind on one thing—becoming invisible, of course. The magic flooded her veins and the rest of her body too, which brought the kind of sensation that made her feel numb with joy and anticipation alike.

"Alright, now…" Chihiro took in a deep breath and exhaled, "Turn me invisible!"

Chihiro waited for a few seconds… Then a few seconds more… then a minute… Then looked down at herself.

Nope, still visible.

"Dangit." Chihiro huffed and looked up at the heavens once more as the magic made her heart pound, "Alright, turn me invisible!"

Nope.

"Turn me invisible!"

Chihiro's tone grew slightly more irate as she thrust her arm to the sky... But nothing. Chihiro only sat down and fell on her back with a groan so loud even the birds in the heavens could hear it.

"This is taking too long!" Chihiro hung her head and sighed, "I've been practicing these for the past few days! I dunno why I keep trying if I'm just gonna keep failing like this?!"

Chihiro bit her lip.

_But, if I'm gonna be the protector of Skylands and all, I've gotta have a bunch of tricks up my sleeve, and that means learning lots of spells_. Chihiro sighed and sat up, _Plus, that fourth portal master exam could be any day now. I've gotta be prepared._

"Fine. Better stop wasting my time and get on it," Chihiro said as she picked up the book once more, "Let's see, fusing objects together…"

While Chihiro read over the spellbook, Spyro did his daily laps around the island like he always did during this particular hour of the day. As he flew by Chihiro at a speed so fast that he looked like nothing more than a big purple blur, the book flipped to another page!

"SPYRO!" Chihiro shouted as her expression soured into a pout, "WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?"

Spyro then flew back while the gust of wind from his flight returned her to her proper page.

"Thank you."

And with that said, Chihiro continued her studying… For the next five minutes at least. Right as she was nearly finished, Spyro zipped back and made Chihiro lose her page again!

"SERIOUSLY?!" Chihiro grumbled to herself before she gathered up her books, walked over to a shady tree and continued her reading. As she laid the book she was reading down, Chihiro looked down at the page she was on... Before she realized that she had completely forgotten where she had left off at!

"DANGIT!" Chihiro groaned as she faceplanted into the dusty pages of the spell book. "This book is gonna be the death of me."

"What are you talking about?" Spyro asked as he flew down from his morning laps to sit beside Chihiro.

"I'm talking about how I'm trying to get these spells down!" Chihiro jumped back up and made a frustrated gesture towards the open spellbook in front of her, "I wanna try and get these spells mastered before the fourth portal master exam—"

"Wait, that reminds me!" Spyro snapped his toes and looked over at Chihiro, "Master Eon and Hugo wanted me to get you for that, actually! They said they're ready to start!"

"Really?" With an awkward smile, Chihiro closed the book up then shoved it in Spyro's arms, "Well then, could you take these back to the library for me, Golden Boy?"

"I guess—HEY, WAIT!" As Chihiro shoved the rest of the rooks in his arms and strode off, Spyro hastily flew after her, "Chihiro, do you even know where—"

Spyro paused for a moment as he looked over the books while Chihiro perked up and her eyes widened.

"Spyro, do you hear that?" Chihiro asked as she grabbed Spyro by his shoulder and literally shook him out of his thoughts. Quite violently, if it should be added.

Spyro groaned and shook his head, then gave Chihiro a tired stare.

"You didn't have to shake me, you know. Just saying."

"Whatever, just listen!"

The two of then went silent while a strange noise entered their ears. It almost sounded like some people were talking, and one of those people sounded very frantic at that. Judging from the location, it sounded as if it came from the beach!

"Exam's on pause, I'm gonna go check this out!" Chihiro then jumped from where they stood and stumbled down the stairs to the beach.

With a sigh, Spyro took to the skies and flew down to the beach where Chihiro was already investigating the scene.

There on the beach stood a feline Mabu somewhat similar to Cali in appearance, for they both held the same body and face shape. The main different was that this Mabu had droopy ears, pale brown fur with darker brown stripes and bright blue eyes. They wore a bright pink corset, a dark blue vest, tan trousers, and brown boots. At the moment, they spoke with Gill Grunt and Zap and seemed quite upset at that. What could possibly be their problem, and how'd they even get here, anyways?

"Miss, please calm down, I can barely understand a word you're saying!" Gill Grunt said as he scratched the back of his neck while Zap skated to his side.

"Yeah dudette, chill out!" Zap exclaimed as he made a confused frown, then jumpbed ack and winced as Gill Grunt elbowed him in the shoulder and glared down him, "Dude, what was that for?"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Chihiro asked as she skipped forward and joining them where they were.

Before Gill Grunt could answer Chihiro, the Mabu took a few breaths and went silent.

"Forgive me for my earlier outburst," the Mabu said as they curtsied before the rest of the group, "My name is Jess LeGrand of Plunder Island, and I've come to ask for your help."

§

"Alright then, Miss LeGrand, what seems to be the problem?" Chihiro asked as she leaned back and forth.

"It's something of a long story, but I'll try my best to explain," Jess said as she took a deep breath, "My hometown was invaded by pirates who make everybody play their silly little card game!"

"Yes, carry on." Chihiro materialized a notepad and pencil out of thin air then wrote down the details.

"When people lose at the card game, the pirates take them prisoner! And as luck would have it, just about everyone from my home is awful at card games." Jess looked to the side and back, "I managed to escape, but my people are still trapped."

"And since you can't take them on your own, you came to us for help?" Chihiro watched as Jess nodded, "Trust me, I've heard plenty of stories like this. Now, if you'll give me a moment…"

And with that, Chihiro grabbed Gill Grunt and Zap by the hand and paw and dragged them off to the island's hub. As they reached the center of the hub, Chihiro cleared her throat.

"ATTENTION!"

With that shout, the other Skylanders gathered around them! Eruptor, Slam Bam, Zap, Terrafin, Gill Grunt, Spyro… It wasn't a fairly big crowd, admittedly, given that it was just a handful of the Skylanders who had been assigned to guard the island, but it was more than enough for their current circumstances.

"Thank you all for gathering here today. Now, today we have a very important briefing." Chihiro paused to shake her head, "You know what? I can't do this formal stuff."

Chihiro breathed in and exhaled.

"Long story short, we've got a mission! Some island got taken over by pilfering pirates with a penchant for card games, and they need our help! Who's with me?"

The Skylanders all cheered in response.

"I like your spirit, guys!" Chihiro beamed and gave the crowd a thumbs up, "Now, to decide who's going…"

Chihiro pressed her fingers against her chin as she glazed over the Skylanders, then pointed her finger at Zap and Slam Bam.

"Zap, Slam, and…" As she pressed her fingers against her chin once more, Chihiro's expression stretched into a confused frown, "Now, who else would be a good fit for this mission?"

"C'mon Chi," said a voice from the back of her crowd, "Put me in the ring, I can take these guys!"

"Think you got what it takes, Terrafin?" Chihiro gave off an amused smile.

"Chi, I'm sure I can take 'em. You're talking to the twenty-time champion of the ring after all!"

"If you say so~" Chihiro smiled before she put on her best important announcement voice, "Terrafin, you'll join Zap and Slam Bam!"

Another figure pushed through the crowd, then stationed themself next to Slam Bam—none other than Terrafin himself! As soon as he reached Slam Bam's side, he made a toothy smile and stretched his muscular arms to the sky.

"Miss LeGrand is waiting on the beach. She'll fill you guys in on all the little details and stuff!" Chihiro skipped ahead, only to snag her foot and trip!

Terrafin quickly noted this as he stepped to Chihiro's side and caught her, then rested her arm around his brawny shoulders and heaved her up.

"Careful there, Cheerio!" Terrafin watched as Chihiro stood tall and stretched out.

"Thanks, Fin." Chihiro winked, then let go of his grasp, "Bring me back a souvenir if you can?"

Terrafin gave Chihiro one of the most confused looks he could, then made a playful smirk.

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with the real Chihiro?"

Chihiro giggled and stuck her tongue out.

"Oh you~" Chihiro then tugged on her sweatpants, "Trust me, I'd love to come, but I've got important portal master stuff to do. Sorry."

Terrafin watched as Chihiro's face fell, then smiled and patted Chihiro on the back.

"It's no big deal, kiddo! I'll tell you all about it when I get back, okay?"

"Alrighty then!" Chihiro looked at Spyro, who patiently waited for her to return to his side, then with a smile she waved at Spyro and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Spyro, where'd you say Master Eon and Hugo were?"

"They should be in the mission simulator room! I'll take you there, just follow me!" Spyro shouted before he turned to the other Skylanders, "I will see you guys later."

With that said, Spyro flew over to the portal building with Chihiro close behind, then the two of them flew straight into the building's open door and vanished from everybody else's view.

As the crowd of Skylanders dispersed with them, Eruptor turned towards Slam Bam and Terrafin, his red eyes attentive as if he was getting ready to say something. Terrafin, however, only winked towards Eruptor and watched as he burst into an awkward blush.

"I know what you're gonna say, 'Ruptor," Terrafin teased as he laid a hand on Eruptor's shoulder, "Don't get too busted up during the mission or you'll blow your top!"

"Finnnn…" Eruptor whined before he brushed a round hand over Terrafin's arm and cast an aside smile, "It's true, though! I don't want my…"

"Don't worry, Ruptor," Slam Bam chuckled as he laid a hand on Eruptor's shoulder, oblivious to how Eruptor's lava bubbled brighter, "We'll be careful, alright?"

"Alright, Slam," Eruptor chuckled as he walked off and waved, "See you later!"

Terrafin chuckled and looked over at Slam Bam while the two of them watched Eruptor leave. Then, the widest smile drew onto his face as he slung his arm around Slam Bam's shoulders.

"So, Slam, what's been goin' on?" Terrafin asked as he nudged Slam Bam's shoulder just a bit, "It's been days since we've really gotten to sit down and talk!"

"Not much, really. Just cleaning up the mess Kaos made," Slam Bam replied as he made a soft blush, "Oh, Ghost Roaster tried to teach Chihiro how to cook once! It was awful though. It took at least three hours to clean that up…"—Slam Bam looked at Terrafin and noted the cheesy smile on his face, then smiled and playfully pushed Terrafin back—"Dude, quit looking at me like that, you look goofy!"

"What, me, goofy?" Terrafin placed a bulky hand on his chest, then gently punched Slam Bam in the arm, "I don't think so!"

The two of them laughed together in a playful way, like this was something they had done so many times that it was practically etched in their hearts.

"Geez, Fin." Slam Bam rolled his eyes and crackled his knuckles as he walked towards the stairwell, "Come on, the mission won't wait all day."

Terrafin smiled and joined Slam Bam as the two of them talked above something inaudible to everyone else.

Meanwhile Zap, ever true to his name, zapped off and left a trail of slime behind him as the other Skylanders disappeared into the distance of their daily activities.

As they walked further, however, Slam Bam slowly pushed past the others and went to the side of the worried-looking Mabu woman who was stationed at the docks.

"So, what seems to be the problem, Miss…" Slam Bam asked as he looked as the young Mabu woman before him.

"LeGrand, Jess LeGrand," Jess said as she wiped the dust from her pants and stood tall, "I can give you the whole story on the way there. For now, we should go—those pirates are only conquering more the longer we stand here."

Jess walked back to the docks and rapped against the hull of her ship, which caused the plank to fall down onto the dock.

"You know what that means, guys!" Slam Bam shouted as he looked back and saw Terrafin and Zap come running.

As the two of them drew closer, it almost appeared that they were… Racing?

"There's no way you're beating me, dude!" Zap shouted, a playful tone in his gargly voice as he skated on a trail of slime.

"Not if I can help it!" Terrafin shouted back with a smirk as he dove into the sand and swam ahead.

Zap's eyes bulged as he watched Terrafin swim leagues ahead of him, then bent his knees and skated ever faster!… But, this didn't end well for Zap, because he lost his footing, tripped over his own paws and landed face-first into the sand. As he got up and shook the sand off his head, Zap looked up to find that Terrafin was nearly there! Zap narrowed his eyes and spit the sand out of his mouth as his gaze darkened.

"Not today, dude."

Meanwhile, Terrafin had already reached the docks and jumped out of the sand! As he landed on the wooden docks, he made a toothy grin and stretched his arms to the sky.

"So what's the deal, Slam?" Terrafin said as he slapped a hand down on Slam Bam's shoulder, "Are we leaving now, or—"

Before Terrafin could finish his sentence, his eyes shot wide as he turned around and saw something leap straight for him! While this giant blur of a creature zoomed towards him, Terrafin merely sidestepped out of the way and watched as the blur landed headfirst onto the docks. The blur, which was since revealed to be Zap, groaned with pain then sat back up and shook his head.

"So, did I win?" Zap gargled with the smuggest look on his face.

"Only in your dreams, kiddo," Terrafin smirked as he crossed his arms, then gently ruffled Zap's head in the way a teasing older brother would.

"I'll beat you someday, dude!" Zap stuck out his tongue, "I'm telling you!"

"You keep saying that." Terrafin winked at Zap before he walked towards the plank.

Zap growled, then his eyes narrowed as he focused on the plank. With another smirk, he zipped right past the plank and flipped onto the deck in no time at all! Now fully stationed, he looked back down at the others with his smile even wider than before.

"How about now?" Zap smirked as he looked down to find a very irate Terrafin rested in Slam Bam's muscular arms.

"Seriously, dude?!" Terrafin shouted as he jumped out of Slam Bam's arms and shook a fist at Zap.

"Awww, c'mon Terrafin." Zap's grin was maybe a little too cocky for his own good as he circled around the deck, "Don't be such a sore loser~"

"Sore loser?" Terrafin's gaze narrowed as his mouth bore a fanged snarl, "I'm telling you, kid—"

"GUYS, KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he pushed himself between the two of them and gave them both scorning looks.

Terrafin and Zap looked at Slam Bam with slight caution in their gazes, then both turned away from and muttered out nasty things under their respective breaths.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Slam Bam said as he turned back to Jess and said.

"Are they new to this whole Skylander thing?" Jess asked as she looked back to Zap and Terrafin, who were still giving each other nasty looks and grumbling insults under their breaths.

"I'M AFRAID NOT!" Slam Bam shouted as he glared at Zap and Terrafin, whose gazing ceased and they both stared at Slam, then looked back at Jess, "Now, may you take us back to where you're from?"

"Absolutely!" Jess ran up the plank and man the steering wheel, "All aboard the Mourning Sun!"

As Terrafin ran up the plank, Slam Bam pulled him back by his arm and gave him a gentle stare.

"Don't worry about Zap, Fin, he's just playing around. I'd know, we share quarters and all," Slam Bam said as he watched Terrafin free himself from Slam Bam's grasp.

"In my defense, he started it," Terrafin retorted as he crossed his arms and shot Zap a nasty glare.

"I know Zap doesn't know when to quit sometimes, but we've still got a mission." Slam Bam laid a cold hand on Terrafin's shoulder and smiled, "Can you promise not to start any trouble?"

"I'll try." Terrafin made a teasing smile and winked, "Can't make any promises though."

"That's good enough for me." Slam Bam smirked and gently nudged Terrafin's shoulder with his head in a soft, almost affectionate way.

"Dude, we're in public!" Terrafin's grin turned even wider as he gently shoved a chuckling Slam Bam, then gently nudged Slam Bam on the shoulder with his snout.

"Let's just go." Slam Bam's tone turned sappy and gently as they boarded the ship and watched as it began to sail off…

§

"So Spyro…" Chihiro asked as she brushed her hand against the never-changing brick walls of the portal building's hallways, "What is this mission simulator thing, anyways?"

As the two of them walked, it felt somewhat… Somber. The lights didn't shine as bright as they usually did, the chills of autumn had wormed their way into the halls and caused a nasty draft. Plus, having only two people inside it added a somewhat lonely atmosphere. In a sense, it added on to the anxiety that alright came with the exam!

"The mission simulator?" Spyro repeated as he placed a claw against his chin and tapped it for a few moments, "The mission simulator's just a machine that make hypothetical missions for you to do. Stopping villains, collecting ancient artifacts… That kind of stuff!"

"Ohhhhh." Chihiro made an eager nod, "Is it tough?"

"I don't really know." Spyro made the best shrug he possibly could, "I only got to test it a few times before Kaos…"

As Spyro bit his lip and stared down at the stone floors, Chihiro frowned and gently placed a hand on his back. Spyro jolted up for a moment, then heaved a sigh of relief as he looked back.

"I'm fine, Chihiro." Spyro flew in place and shook his head as he clearly took notice of Chihiro's concern, "Don't worry about me."

As Spyro stared away in contemplation, however, Chihiro continued to frown.

_He's acting like that again,_ Chihiro thought as she teased a strand of inky black hair, _He always looks so sad and worried about stuff… I wish I could make him feel better. Maybe I could try and get and his mind off of things._

Chihiro looked to her side and made a twisted frown, then beamed back at Spyro.

"So, what'cha gonna do after this?" Chihiro pressed her hands against her back and walked forwards.

"Well, let's see…" Spyro flew ahead of Chihiro and looked down at his paw, "Gotta help Sunburn and Eruptor find out why the Chocolate Seas have frozen over, then after that I'm working with a couple relief teams that are rebuilding some villages we recently liberated from Kaos, after that Gill, Trig and I are investigating rumors of troll camps in the Turtle Archipelago—"

"Man, you sound pretty busy!" Chihiro made a soft whistle as she stopped in front of a spiraling stone staircase, "I don't know how you can do it, Golden Boy."

"It's nothing." Spyro flew in front of Chihiro, "It's all in a day's work for me. I'm a Skylander, after all—"

"I know, I know." Chihiro grabbed onto the staircase's banister and walked up, "But still! You're always working so hard, no matter what. It's like you never take a break!"

"I have to, Chihiro." Spyro cast a downwards, solemn look as he flew up the stairs, his voice turned cold, "It's my responsibility to undo what Kaos did. If anything, I'm not doing enough."

"Don't you mean it's our responsibility?" Chihiro raced up to Spyro's side and tilted her head as she looked over at him, "We're all working to beat him, after aLLLL—"

As soon as Chihiro hit the top of the stairs, she was greeted by an eye-searing light and stumbled back! She would have tumbled down the entire stone staircase in all its hard rockiness if not for Spyro, who swooped in and caught her as she regained her balance.

"Thanks for the save, Gold," Chihiro whimpered as she took back her footing and stepped forwards, "Geez, who turned on all the lights?"

"We did," said Hugo as he walked forward and took Chihiro's hand, "Come on, we've got something to show you!"

Chihiro followed Hugo's path as Spyro flew into the room, then beamed and made a surprise gasp.

"So this is the mission simulator, right?" Chihiro asked as she gazed over the machine set before her.

Before her was a metal platform under an orange machine!

The machine vaguely looked like a giant lampshade save for the conspicuous-looking metal blaster-thingie that hung where a bulb typically would be and the two giant slots that were about the height of an average door. In front of the machine, a giant mechanical device covered in all sorts of bright-colored buttons, switches and levers that rested firm.

"Indeed it is, young Chihiro," Master Eon answered as he floated to Chihiro's side, "And it is also what we will use to conduct your fourth exam."

"Wait, so soon? Why?" Chihiro's face flashed with utter terror, "But, my third one was just a few days ago…"

"Well, thanks to Drobot and Hugo's collaborative efforts, we have managed to get the mission simulator functioning again, but we still need to properly test it." Master Eon floated away from Chihiro and towards the giant metal panel, "And given the criteria for the third exam, we figured this would be the perfect opportunity!"

"That makes sense, I guess." Chihiro skipped forwards and examined the panel, a bit of unrest still wild in her heart, "So, what's the third exam about, anyways?"

"It's quite simple, really." Master Eon floated over to the platform and bobbed up and down, "Within the confines of the Mission Simulator, you will face a manifestation of one of your worst fears. In order to succeed, you must come out victorious!

"Worst fears, huh?" Chihiro joined Master Eon and gazed over the platform, "I guess I can take it!"

"Very well then. Hugo and I will start up the machine," Master Eon floated back to the panel and glowed slightly brighter, though it was hard to tell under all the fluorescent light, "And do not fret, Hugo and I will supervise your exam. Should anything go wrong with the simulation, we will pull you back immediately!"

"Alrighty!" Chihiro gave Master Eon a thumbs up as she looked up at the blaster. "Fire it up!"

Chihiro frowned a curious frown as she just barely heard the sound of buttons being pressed and levers being pulled in the background. What could her worst fear possibly be? Bugs? Needles? Oni? That one monster from that movie she watched when she was seven?

"I don't know, I'm not sure if those would be considered worst fears," Chihiro whispered to only herself as she paced in a circle around the platform, only to gain a serious expression, "…Unless it's a mix of all of those!"

Chihiro shuddered and shook her head.

"Ready to launch in five…" Hugo exclaimed, his nasally voice a bit calmer than usual, "Four…"

Chihiro stood tall and beamed up at the blaster, which now glowed… Red?

"Hey, Hugo?" Chihiro asked as she cast Hugo a glance, "Is this thing supposed to be red?"

"Three…"

The blaster pulsed a brighter red as the sound of sizzling circuits was heard above. Hopefully that was a normal sound…

"Two… One…"

Hugo pulled a lever… And then a siren blared, a siren so loud it could've probably been heard in all of Skylands!

"WARNING, WARNING," Blared a mechanical feminine voice over the wail of the siren, "MACHINE IN CRITICAL STATE!"

The machine continued to wail as the sirens grew louder and the lights slowly turned pink.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tried to race out of the machine… Only to be blocked off by a solid glass door that slid all around her!

Chihiro's breath turned panicked as she pounded on the glass, but it was no use as the material was far to strong for her fists to crack. Sweat dripped down her head as the sirens grew louder and the fluorescent lights turned so red it dyed everything a blood-like shade of crimson. Everything was so loud and bright and overwhelming, she couldn't take it! Chihiro kept screaming and screeching as loud as she could as she pounded her fists and kicked her legs against the glass, but she still couldn't do a thing.

"HUGO! MASTER EON! LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!" Chihiro begged, her voice shrill and strained from all her screaming and her eyes so wide that her pupils were more or less dots.

While her heart pounded so fast it practically jumped out of her chest, Chihiro looked over at the panel and saw a frantic Hugo mess around with the panel as he talked to both Master Eon and an equally-panicked Spyro. Judging by the way they reacted, this _definitely _wasn't planned.

"Guys, please!" Chihiro sobbed as she pounded on the glass while tears of panic stung her eyes, "Let me out!"

Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, Spyro had definitely noticed her! He took once glance at the glass, then hastily tugged on Hugo's jacket as he pointed towards her. Hugo shot something back as he toyed with a knob, but Chihiro paid no mind.

Instead, she was far more concerned by the mechanical whirring she heard above her. Her mind was so overwhelmed and overstimulated by the sirens and the lights and the panic that she barely noticed it, but _something _was going on. Had they gotten her out? Chihiro looked up and gulped. No, that was most certainly _not _the sound of them getting her out.

Rather, it was the sound of the giant blaster above her, which was now completely absorbed by threatening red light!

Chihiro was shocked speechless. All she could do was pant and stared wide-eyed as the light grew larger and the whirring grew wider and the blaster looked more and more like it was going to shoot and—

CRASH!

Something smashed through the walls and tackled Chihiro, but it was too late! The blaster had shot both her and the other thing with a giant beam and light, and the last thing Chihiro saw was bright, eye-searing, blinding blood red…

§

Terrafin, Slam Bam, and Zap gazed over the Mourning Sun's hull as they passed over endless ocean waves. The ship bobbed ever-so-calmly against the ocean waters, in a way that almost made one want to go to sleep! And with the soft rambles of Jess's voice and lack of excitement that's what some of them were about ready to do.

"And that's when I went to get the Skylanders for help," Jess explained as she steered the Mourning Sun's wheel, then bit her lip as her gaze faltered, "I only wish I did it sooner…"

"Pirate invasion?" Slam Bam remarked as he leaned against a wooden railing and gazed over the ocean, "Heard there were a lot of those happening lately."

"I'm afraid so." Jess wrapped her fingers tight around the wheel's spokes while tears formed in the corners of her eyes, "I just didn't think it would happen to us…"

"Well, you don't have to worry any longer!" Terrafin shouted as he waltzed up and slapped his hand on Slam Bam's back, "We'll have those pirates crawling back to where they came from in no time! After all, we're Skylanders—stopping the bad guys is our job!"

Slam Bam jumped internally, then looked over to see Terrafin beside him and chuckled.

"Fin! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Slam Bam scolded, though his tone was more playful than angry as he wrapped an arm around Terrafin's brawny shoulders.

"Just keepin' you on guard, Slam~" Terrafin grinned as he ran a claw down Slam Bam's muscular chest.

"Well, thank you for the reassurance." Jess chuckled as she watched the two of them tease each other with a loving kind of playfulness, "We should be there very soon."

"Good to know!" Terrafin replied as he gave Jess a thumbs up, "I'll go tell Zap!"

Terrafin then walked back to the bow while he hummed some kind of strange tune.

"Geez, Fin," Slam Bam said as he shook his head and watched Terrafin run to the side of the hull where Zap was, his tone with a level of fondness to it, "I swear, you're gonna be the death of me."

All was peaceful for the next few moments as Zap and Terrafin bickered among themselves while Slam Bam ever-so-carefully supervised. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they passed by ever-identical ocean waves and blue skies, with everything so peaceful that you'd probably be forgiven for falling asleep.

In fact, that's what Slam Bam, Terrafin and Zap nearly did as they laid on the Mourning Sun's wooden docks and dozed off, their heads so fuzzy and tired…

"We're here!" Jess shouted.

"Huh?"

Slam Bam, Terrafin and Zap all shook off their exhaustion and ran to the deck railing. They then looked over to find that they had arrived at a wooden docking platform, the Mourning Sun parked next to its side and its plank extended.

"Do you want me to guide you around?" Jess asked as she walked up to them and looked at Slam Bam.

"We'll be fine," Slam Bam said as he pulled away from the deck railing, "You just stay here and stay safe."

Slam Bam's gaze then turned Terrafin and Zap, who all nodded and proceeded down the plank. All three stepped onto the rickety wooden docks, then their eyes widened as they took in their surroundings.

It seemed like a normal island. After it, it did have lots of grass, buildings and houses wherever you looked, a couple lampposts scattered around the area that gave light wherever you walked, even a few nice flowerbeds. But, it had one detail that separated it from the rest—pirates!

Yes, there were pirates everywhere! They were all of the same species—furry, mangy-looking seadogs—but they all donned a variety of pirate-y attire, from striped shirts and patched-up trousers to fancy coats and hats. They had paid no mind to the ship that had pulled into the docks, for they were too busy talking, gambling, trading treasure and stories… And most despicably of all, rounding up people and putting them in cages.

"We're going to have our work cut out for us, aren't we?" Slam Bam asked as he crossed his muscular arms.

"Don't worry about it, if I could take on pirate dudes once I can do it again!" Zap said as his head poked out from the rear of the group before he shot a smirk at Terrafin, "Besides, all these dudes do is play card games, right?"

"Zap, don't underestimate them." Slam Bam's voice took a scolding tone as he looked over at Zap, "Jess said they captured all the people in her town. I'm sure they've got some tricks under their sleeves."

"Don't worry, Slam," Terrafin smirked as he crossed his arms, "There's nothin' they can throw at us that we can't handle!"

"Yeah!" Zap chimed in before he made an excited glance at Slam Bam, "We'll have those pirate dudes all wiped out before lunch!"

"If you say so," Slam Bam replied as he shook his head, "We need to find out what these pirates are really up to and put a stop to it. Split up, find out whatever you can and free whoever you can,"—Slam Bam then pounded a fist against his hand—"And whatever you do, DON'T play any card games. Got it?"

"Got it!" Zap and Terrafin said in unison before they smirked at each other.

"Bet'cha I can get there faster than you!" Zap chirped with a click of his tongue.

"I doubt it!" Terrafin shouted back as he done into the earth and swam off.

"Hopefully they won't get _too _caught up in their contest…" Slam Bam remarked while he watched the two of them race off, then heaved a sigh and folded his arms as he trailed behind them…

§

Chihiro made a soft, weak groan as she sat back up and rubbed her eyes. Her arms and legs felt a bit numb for some reason, or maybe they had fallen asleep? Ugh, she really hated when that happened. Chihiro shook her legs and felt the numbness fade away enough for her to stand.

"Say, where am I, anyways?" Chihiro asked as she looked around and frowned, "And how'd I get here?…"

The area itself provided her no clues. All she could see was a liminal, white voice for miles and miles on end. No landmarks, no suspicious craters, no giant armies of angry people ready to jump on her with even the slightest twitch… Chihiro shuddered and shook her head. Nope, let's not think about that right now, better just walk around. Maybe there was a door or something. With a soft hum, Chihiro tugged on her vest and walked forwards.

No matter how far she walked, thought, it seemed like she had gotten nowhere. All she saw was just cold white. That is, until she felt her foot hit… Tile?

Yeah, tile! Chihiro looked down and bit her lip as the masses of blank white turned to cream yellow, pristine tile. She then looked ahead to find identical rows of metallic lockers pressed against walls with peeling yellow and orange diamond-print wallpaper. Wait a second, this place looked familiar! Chihiro turned around, then gasped as she saw that the liminal white space was gone! Where she had once walked now resided a pair of glass doorways that lead to concrete paths.

"How'd I end up at school?" Chihiro looked back and forth while her hands trembled just a bit, "I'm sure I was at that weird place just a second ago…"

Chihrio gulped as she looked down at her hands and watched them shake.

_I hate being here, _Chihiro thought as she clenched her hands into fists and shook her head, _But I can't just sit here and mope. I have to find a way out!_—Chihiro gulped and walked ahead, her head hung low and trained on her feet—_That is, if I can figure out how I got here in the first place. _

Chihiro smiled and gently toyed with her vest's zipper.

_Well, at least my classmates aren't here._

Just then, Chihiro heard the sound of faint whispers and felt her heart stop. Those voices, it couldn't be…

_No, don't look up, don't look up, don't look up! _Chihiro shook her head as the whispers seemed to grow even louder, _They're not there, they're not talking, and they CERTAINLY aren't talking about—_

Too late. Chihiro looked up out of impulse and saw… Kids!

Kids all around her age or maybe slightly older dressed in all sorts of clothes with backpacks slung across their shoulders. They all talked with each other in hushed whispers, but the way they cast slight aside glances at Chihiro keyed her in on the conversation subject.

Her.

Chihiro winced as she felt tears sting her eyes, then shook her head furiously as she stormed off just a bit faster than before. Don't think about them, don't think about them…

"Hey, Chihiro!" Called out a girlish voice from the sidelines.

Chihiro stopped in her tracks and looked up, then turned around to where the voice's source was.

It was a bookish-looking girl around her age with wavy blonde hair, a button nose, pale skin and bright blue eyes like cold ice hidden behind sharp-looking black glasses. She wore a blue cutoff shirt and a flared skirt of the same color—maybe it was a dress? Chihiro's head was too fuzzy to tell for sure.

As she clacked her white dress shoes against the tile, the girl beamed up at Chihiro with a hot gaze.

"Chihiro, I've been meaning to ask…" The girl said as she teased a lock of blonde hair, "Well, could you tell me about that Beauty Cure show you like so much?"

Chihiro's mouth gaped into an open smile as her eyes sparkled.

"You mean Beautiful Remedy?" Chihiro echoed as she felt her heart skip a beat from pure excitement, "Well, sure!"

Chihiro clasped her hands together and hummed with so much excitement it probably made her entire body vibrate!

"Well you see, Beautiful Remedy, Or BeauRe for short, it's this show about these two girls, Marisa and Monika! They're normal girls who don't really talk all that much, or even know each other aside from going to the same school, but then one day they run into these magical pixies from another world!"

Chihiro's voice rang with pure joy as she made probably a gazillion different excited hand gestures to accompany her ramble.

"Their home world's power source got destroyed by this evil overlord, so they need these girls to—"

Laughter. Chihiro stopped short as she looked over at the girl, who covered her mouth in a futile attempt to hide her laughter. Behind her, two other, older-looking girls loomed over the duo as they joined that same girl in a chorus of laughter. Mocking, mocking laughter!

"… You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Chihiro felt a lump form in her throat as her mind tensed, as if she didn't want to know the answer that came.

"Oh, no, no," The laughing girl replied between chortles, "Just keep talking, Chihiro! We're not making fun of you at all!"

"But, you're laughing at me!" Chihiro pointed an accusatory finger in the girl's face.

"Well, I just can't help it!" The girl made a few more chuckles before she withdrew her hand to reveal a smirk, "You're just so easy to laugh at, after all!"

"Yeah!" Chimed in one of the older girls as she stepped out from behind the formerly-laughing one, "You never shut up about those weird shows, and act really weird. I mean, what kind of person can't even look other people in the eye?"

"But, but, I'm…" Chihiro whimpered and stepped back a little.

"Not any normal person, that's for sure," said the second older girl as she joined the others, "After all, what normal person gets so worked up over every little thing that happens, or has those weird temper tantrums, or can't even tell when someone's making fun of them?"

Chihiro's whimpers grew more frantic as the room around her grew more ominous, more… shadowy. The warm and colorful wallpaper peeled off to reveal stained concrete, the lockers grew worn and rusted, the tile floors grew old and scratched…

"Face it, Chihiro, you'll never be anybody worth hanging around. Consider yourself lucky we even _want _to talk to you!"

"Yeah! Anybody with half a brain would've ran off the moment you even came here!"

Chihiro's heart beat faster and faster as her classmates all surrounded her. She was trapped in a circle with all their taunts and jeers and there was no possible way to escape! All she could do was stand and listen.

"I'm surprised people even tolerated you coming here!" The girl who had first talked to Chihiro smirked even wider as she tensed her eyebrows, "After all, you can't even speak a lick of English!"

"No kidding, you couldn't even introduce yourself to the class! The teacher had to do it for you!" The girl scoffed and crossed her arms, "How pathetic!"

As the others laughed, Chihiro's fear boiled into something else… Frustration, rage? Whatever it was, she couldn't tell, but quite frankly, she didn't care.

"Shut…" Chihiro sputtered out at last as she held her head, her hands balled into fists.

"Oh?" The jeering girl turned around and held up a hand to her ear as she pointed with the other, "Listen, everyone! She's trying to speak English!"

"Bet she can't even do it!"

"Think she'll need us to help her?"

"Look, she's crying! What a baby!"

"Hey, what was that thing we used to call her in kindergarten?"

"I think it was…"

Chihiro inhaled sharply, the rage in chest like a ticking time bomb that made her entire body shudder with raw, unkempt anger that heated the bomb like a flaming fuse. And just like that, the time bomb went off.

"SHUT UP!" Chihiro shouted at last as she lunged forward and heard a scream!

Chihiro stopped short while her vision turned fuzzy. The girl, the one that had stood before her and made fun of her laid in the arms of the other two with her head back and her breath short.

Everybody stopped silent as Chihiro whimpered and reluctantly forced herself to look down at her fist.

Blood.

There was blood on her knuckles.

"Did you see that?!"

"Chihiro punched her!"

As the chants and crows of the crowd echoed around her brain like cartoon birds, Chihiro shuddered and looked back down at her shaking hands.

_No way… _Chihiro thought, _I didn't just… But it was an accident, I didn't mean to…_

"Quick, get her! She's dangerous!"

Chihiro made a sharp gasp and dashed off without any mind paid to the back of the crowd. As she ran, she could've sworn she heard an army of footsteps running behind her, or maybe it was just her own footsteps amplified by her fear. She couldn't quite tell the difference and didn't entirely care to right now. Her breath turned heavy and the entire area around her turned even more menacing, Chihiro's eyes scanned the halls for any form of escape. But, not much luck was had—all she could see was scratched tile, rusted lockers, and…

"A door!" Chihiro exclaimed.

Sure enough, right to her left was a worn wooden door! Finally, an escape! In a fit of panic, Chihiro let out strangled gasps as she grabbed onto the door rusted doorknob and jiggled it open… Only to yank it out instead!

With a terrified wince, Chihiro watched the stampeding crowd run before her and gulped. No time to hesitate, she had to get out of here fast! Chihiro let out a mighty scream as she side-kicked the door open, then dashed inside and slammed it shut. As the shouting crowd faded from her line of hearing, Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the door.

"Thank goodness," Chihiro sighed as she felt her heartbeat slow down, "I thought I was a goner."

As Chihiro clutched a hand against her heart, just to confirm that her heartbeat had returned to normal—which it did—she heaved another sigh… Then watched as a giant fireball flew right over her head! With a yelp she ducked down and watched it soar safely over her, then pushed herself up and looked around. Whatever this place was, it certainly wasn't her school.

It looked more like a battlefield, with land that was singed in some places and set aflame in others, weapons and blood scattered about like weeds, and worst of all… The battlefield was littered with dead bodies. _Familiar _dead bodies.

"… Rupty?" Chihiro whimpered as she crawled over to the body of what she presumed was Eruptor and gently laid her hand on it.

His whole body was nothing but volcanic rock that was cold to the touch. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was only slightly agape in an almost shocked position.

"No way… This can't be happening!" Chihiro felt her heartbeat race once more as she scrambled across to the other bodies littered on the battlefield.

"Warnado? Double Trouble?" Chihiro's voice grew more strained and terrified as she bounced from each body to the next, "Wrecking Ball! Stump Smash! Anybody! Please, please just wake up!"

But no use. They all laid cold and lifeless, their pulses and energy completely robbed from their bodies.

How did this happen? Why was she here?

Chihiro curled into a ball and shuddered so hard she could've fallen apart as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Her friends… All dead. How could she have let this happen? How _did _this even happen, anyways? Everything before she entered that weird, liminal white space was a complete blur!

As Chihiro felt like she herself was about ready to curl up and die, she was pulled out of her self-loathing by the sounds of what was probably fighting up ahead. Angry shouts and magical blasts… That had to be a battle!

_And if there's a battle, then maybe… _Chihiro thought as she wiped away her tears and pushed herself to run forwards, _Maybe there's survivors somewhere!_

Chihiro's pants were heavy as she grew closer and closer to the combat noises, then found a giant, broken stone lodged into the wreckage and took shelter behind it. Her curiosity overtaken, she poked her head over the giant broken segment of the rock and froze.

There, right before her eyes was Spyro, faced off against none other than Kaos himself!

Kaos looked just as intimidating as he did in her dreams, all evil aura and rippling muscles and intimidating clothes, though for some reason he was bald now and backed by a giant hydra? Chihiro didn't entirely have time to question why as she watched him fight against Spyro.

Speaking of Spyro, he wasn't doing so hot! His breath was heavy and his whole body was slumped, as if he barely had any energy. With every attack Kaos threw at him, Spyro only seemed to grow more and more worn as he tried his very best to dodge.

"You might as well give up, dragonfly," Kaos taunted, his voice like that of a legion's, "You stand no chance against I, the ULTIMATE EVIL EMPEROR KAOSSSSSSSSSS!"

"NEVER!" Spyro hissed between heavy breaths as he barely pushed himself up, "I can't… I can't… I can't let you… Win…"

Spyro only shuddered and fell to his paws and Kaos laughed even more.

"What are you talking about?" Kaos smirked as he spread his muscular arms wide, "I already have!"

Kaos then gestured around to the scene before him.

"I've destroyed the Core of Light, killed your puny menace Eon and all of you Skylanders, and now I'm EVIL LORD SUPREME OF ALL SKYLANDS!" Kaos then looked back at Spyro and bore a fanged smile, "And all because _you _were too pathetic and weak to stop me!"

Chihiro trembled as she watched the fight before her, her heart shaken with a strange feeling as if she should've remembered something.

"Thanks for helping me bring your worst fears to life, dragonfly!"

_Worst fears! _Chihiro realized as she fell back from realization, _That's it! I got trapped in that mission simulator, but something tried to push me out right before I got zapped. I remember now!_

Chihiro then scrambled back to watch Spyro and brushed her hand against the warm stone.

_Was that Spyro who tried to rescue me? _Chihiro's eyes stung with tears as she watched Spyro is his beaten, helpless state, _Is this… __**His**__ worst fear?_

Spyro grunted and staggered up. Though, even from so far away Chihiro could tell he was pained and barely hanging out.

"This battle isn't over, yet, Kaos!" Spyro retorted, his voice weak but still with a bit of courage to it, "I'll, stop you, I swear!"

"Don't swear on things you can't do, dragonfly," Kaos shot back as he snapped his fingers, "After all, how could someone as _pathetic_ and _**useless**_ as you do anything right?"

Chihiro heard some kind of magical whir, then gasped as she watched the Skylanders' corpses fly off the battlefield!

"You'll just have to face the facts, you're a complete and utter FAILURE!" Kaos smirked as the dead Skylanders' bodies swarmed him like ants, "You spectacularly failed to stop me from conquering Skylands or killing your friends! All you could do was sit there and watch!"—Kaos scoffed as he glared down Spyro—"And you still have the absolute gall to call yourself a leader? To call yourself a _Skylander_?"

Spyro only winced and stepped back. There was pure panic in his eyes as he looked over Kaos and the dead bodies that Kaos had collected—this really _was _his worst fear.

"It's all your fault that everything is the way it is, dragonfly. Just face the music and give up!"

"No, I…" Spyro tried to spit more out, but he was far too upset to say anything.

Kaos only chuckled, then levitated out Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy's dead bodies.

"You really messed up, Spyro!" Kaos mocked in his best imitation of Trigger Happy's voice as he puppeted Trigger Happy's body, "This is all your fault!"

"I, I…" Spyro's legs trembled as his eyes bobbed around.

"We'd all have been better off if you never joined!" Kaos continued to mock, this time in a shoddy imitation of Gill Grunt's voice.

"Guys, I tried, I really did, I promise!" Spyro croaked, now completely desolate as tears fell from his eyes.

"Well you didn't try hard enough!"

Kaos only continued to mock Spyro as he pulled out more and more dead Skylanders to puppet, but Spyro didn't retaliate. He only sat there, teary-eyed and completely defeated as Kaos continued to prattle on.

_Spyro, don't listen to him! _Chihiro demanded within the confines of her mind as her gaze narrowed, _He's just trying to mess you up!_

But, it was no use, Chihiro's silent pleas didn't reach Spyro at all. He only sat down, completely defeated.

"Ah, it's no fun mocking someone when they don't even try to fight back!" Kaos exclaimed as he looked down at Spyro, "I'll just end this right here, right now!"

The Skylanders' and the hydra's bodies all glowed as some bright substance flew out of them and into Kaos, who glowed with a bright, brilliant power.

"Goodbye, dragonfly!" Kaos placed his hands forwards as he charged up some kind of giant energy ball, "It was _awful _knowing you!"

_I've gotta save him! _Chihiro thought as she watched Kaos and Spyro's duel with wide eyes, _But, but how? I can't fight him myself!_

Chihiro looked at her trembling hands while tears of rage fell down her cheeks, then clenched those shaky hands tight.

_The invisibility spell! _Her resolution firm, Chihiro clasped her hands tight and looked back at Spyro, _I've gotta try it! But…_—Chihiro felt her heart waver just slightly—_I've never been able to pull it off before! Can I really do it?_

"No, there's no time for doubts, Chihiro," Chihiro said as she wiped away her tears, "Your friend needs you!"

As she focused her ability to the best she could, Chihiro clasped her hands tight and closed her eyes. Magic soared through her entire body and made her shake, but maybe that was just her nerves. Either way she didn't care.

_Turn me invisible! _Chihiro thought.

Then, without even thinking she climbed up the rock and dashed forward! As she flew through the skies, she felt her body make contact with something smooth, scaly and warm then wrapped herself tight around it. Surely that was Spyro!

"WHAT?!" Kaos exclaimed, "WHO DID THAT?"

_Now, teleport us out of here! _Chihiro demanded as she held as tightly to Spyro as she could.

And just like that, Chihiro felt herself get whisked out of the area with a resounding WHOOSH!

§

"Hm hm hm hm hmm, hm hm hm hm hm, hm hm hm hm hm hmmm…" Terrafin hummed as he swam through the loamy earth with only his fin stuck out from the soil.

_Doesn't seem like there's anybody here, _Terrafin thought as he kept his ears trained on the ground above, _Better move o—_

Terrafin was then cut off by his fin as it hit some wooden thing and caused him to tumble over himself, his feet stuck straight out of the earth. With an audible groan, Terrafin set himself upright and stared right into the eyes of a furry brown canine covered in rags and jewelry who had fallen down onto the earth.

All around them, various belongings that were presumably the canine's scattered everywhere! A miniature wooden table, several different kinds of cards, and various other knick-knacks and stuff like that…

"Watch where ye're going, ye muscled buffoon!" The canine exclaimed as he got up and dusted himself off, "Ye hast any idea how long it took me to set that up?!"

"About five minutes?" Terrafin suggested as he shrugged and gave the canine a sheepish look.

The pirate froze for a moment, gave Terrafin an uncomfortable look and chuckled nervously as he leaned back.

"Never mind, just give me a moment." The pirate grumbled as he walked of and began gathering his things.

He stashed the cards and other items away in his jacket, then sat the table upright and setting the cards face-down onto the table. After he took a deep breath, the pirate pulled up a wooden chair that was half-buried in the ground, brushed off its seat and sat it behind the table. He then took a seat as a sneer spread across his face.

"What'cha doin' here, sharky?" The pirate took a seat as a sneer spread across his face.

Terrafin took another, more attentive gaze at the canine, then snarled as he looked behind the booth and saw a golden cage that trapped a trembling mabu man.

"You're one of those pirates, aren't'cha?" Terrafin jumped up and slammed his bulky fists onto the wooden table the pirate was sitting behind, "I'm here to set you guys straight!"

Terrafin pounded his fist on the table a second time for emphasis.

"You—" Terrafin then lost his footing and dove nose-first into the table, which caused cards to fly everywhere! Terrafin regained his stance and blew the cards that had fallen on his snout upwards, then watched as the cards gently landed back onto the table.

"Ye're one of those Skylandees, ain't ye?" The canine pirate watched as Terrafin nodded slowly and sighed, "Well, I have no doubts that yer here to shut us down, but before ye do that…"—The pirate waved his hand over the cards he had set up—"How's about a game of pirate cards?"

Terrafin bit his lip. Slam did say not to take up these guys, and for all he knew they could have some kind of dirty trick up their sleeves. But, this does look pretty easy… Terrafin looked down at the six cards stationed at the table, drummed his fingers on its wooden surface and took a deep breath.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Terrafin asked himself under his breath, then looked the pirate dog in the eye and slammed his hand on the table. "Fine! I'll take you up on your offer!"

The pirate dog smirked as his eyes lit up.

"Well then, sharkie, this game's simple." The pirate dog gestured towards the cards once more, "See these cards here? All ye have to do is match them up with their identical others!"—The pirate dog narrowed his eyes and pulled something out of his raggedy coat—"But before ye play, we have to make a deal."

Terrafin raised his eyes then furrowed his brow.

"And what would this deal be?"

"Well." The pirate revealed the object he had withdrawn, a metallic alarm clock, and place it on the stand, "I'll set up a time limit of five minutes, and if ye win, then I'll do whatever ye requests,"—The pirate's look turned threatening, complete with a sinister glare and snarled teeth—"But if ye loses me little game, then ye become me prisoner… FER LIFE."

Terrafin flinched for just a moment, then his eyes focused on the six cards on the desk. This could turn out pretty bad if he lost… But then again, only six cards.

"Alright, I'll take you up on your little game. And if I win..." Terrafin then looked over at the mabu trapped inside their gilded cage, "You're gonna free that guy you have trapped there."

"It's a deal." The pirate shook Terrafin's hand and set the timer, "Now, let the games begin."

Terrafin brushed his hand across his chin, before he reached out and flipped over a card to get an image of a pirate ship on the front.

"Schooner!" The pirate proclaimed.

Terrafin gave the pirate a weird look, then flipped over another card which depicted the image of a worn paper map.

"MAP!" The pirate announced as the cards magically flipped themselves on their fronts.

Just then, a small panel drew open on the booth, and from it emerged a tiny cannon… That shot the minute hand on the clock! Just like that, the minute hand was nudged ahead by about a minute!

The pirate chuckled as he noted the confused look on Terrafin's face.

"That's the trick of me cannon deck," The pirate explained as he stroked the booth, "Every time ye get a wrong pair, that lil' cannon takes a minute off ye time!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Terrafin retorted as he bore his teeth.

"I'm a pirate." The pirate placed a furry paw on the booth as he leaned forward and smirked at Terrafin, "Do ye really think I care?"

Terrafin growled, then looked back at the cards before him. With a diligent hum, he flipped the ship card over once more.

"Schooner!" The pirate announced.

Terrafin growled as he looked over at the pirate, who now seemed much more punchable than before, then looked back at the cards. He knew that the map card was diagonal from the ship, but not much else… Maybe he should try the card next to it? Terrafin flipped over the next card, which revealed a wooden chest filled with gold coins and other kinds of treasure. Definitely not the one he was looking for.

"Booty!" The pirate declared ever-so-smugly as the cannon popped out of the booth and shot the clock down a minute more.

Terrafin clenched his teeth and his fist, then twitched his eye so slightly as he looked down at the cards once more.

"Time's a'tickin', ye best make up yer mind soon~" The pirate crowed as he stroked his chin.

Terrafin shot the pirate another glare, then looked down at the deck of cards. His gaze then trailed over to the metal clock, which had about a minute and a half left on its timer. He better come up with something fast! Terrafin breathed in and looked over the ship card.

"Schooner!" The pirate proclaimed as he stroked his chin.

Terrafin gazed over the deck and flipped over the ship card's bottom card to get an identical ship!

"… Schooner?" The pirate's eyes widened as the matching card magically flew back into his pocket.

Terrafin made a smug grin towards the pirate, then flipped over the map card.

"Map!" The pirate exclaimed, a hint of worry in his voice.

The pirate's eyes widened even more as Terrafin flipped over the card beside it, which revealed an identical map card!

"… Map." The pirate sighed as the map cards flew back into his pocket.

That pirate didn't even speak as Terrafin flipped over the last, twin cards with two matching images of a chest filled with coins printed on their front. All he did was stared dumbfounded as they flew back to his possession.

"Alright buddy, I won." Terrafin looked over to the pirate dog and gestured, "Now hold up your end of the bargain."

The pirate sighed, then turned around and walked over to the cage.

"Alright, matey, ye win…" The pirate rummaged through his coat and pulled something out, "But…"

"But what?"

The pirate whipped around and pointed a cutlass just inches away from Terrafin's face!

"That doesn't mean I have to keep up my end!" The pirate jumped onto the booth and sprang onto Terrafin, "I'm a pirate, after all!"

"If that how you're gonna be…" Terrafin only swung out of the way and watched as the pirate landed on his face, "Then bring it on! I've been itchin' for a fight!"

The pirate growled as he launched himself towards Terrafin, who only cracked his knuckles and swiftly bobbed out of the way! As the pirate stared in confusion, Terrafin reappeared behind the pirate's back and punched him! The pirate groaned as he fell on his face, the wind completely knocked out of him, then growled and reached for his cutlass! When his grasp on the handle was firm, he sped forward and slashed Terrafin.

Well, he probably would've if Terrafin hadn't grabbed onto the blade and tossed it up! As the pirate flew into the air with his cutlass, Terrafin jumped up and launched out a rapid-fire barrage of punches! His fists flew so fast, you could barely even see the pirate until he finally fell down onto the ground with a face full of bruises and black eyes.

"Uncle! Uncle, I say!" The pirate wailed as he tried to stagger up, only to fall back down on his back, "No more, please!"

"Looks like I'm the champ here," Terrafin smirked as he walked over to the pirate, "Which means it's time for me to take my trophy!"

Terrafin then dove his bulky hand into the pirate's jacket and pulled out a golden key. As he swung the key around his finger, he walked back over to the cage and looked it over.

The mabu inside glanced over at Terrafin with a frightened look in his eyes, but his fear vanished as Terrafin unlocked the cage!

"You're free now, buddy!" Terrafin proclaimed as he patted the mabu on the back.

"Oh, thank you so much!" The mabu exclaimed as they shook Terrafin's hand, "I tried to stop the pirates myself, but I'm a lot worse at card games than I thought."

"Don't worry 'bout it!" Terrafin gently nudged the mabu aside, "Just get back home, alright?"

As the Mabu cheered and ran free, Terrafin glared back over at the pirate who only rested unconscious on the ground. A nagging feeling in his gut told him that he should probably do something about that pirate, but then again he did seem pretty beat up. Terrafin then shrugged. He'll just leave that dude here—after all, it would be wrong to kick a guy when he was down. So, Terrafin just jumped back into the earth and swam off…

§

Zap paced behind the various bushes, his persimmon eyes trained on the various pirate canines that ran rampant as they all gambled, fought, played cards, and otherwise caused mayhem throughout the sleepy town. As his eyes narrowed, Zap focused on the outlier within the crowd.

There among the chaos was a timid-looking, bright orange feline mabu who had their head down as they walked through the swarm of pirates.

"Hey, kitty-cat!" Called a canine from a stall, "You wanna play a game?"

The cat mabu quickly shook their head as they ran faster, only for two burly canines to grab the mabu by their arms. The bulky canines dragged the mabu to the stall, all while they futilely struggled!

The third pirate's eyes perked as they took note of the mabu, a grin spreading across his face as the mabu further struggled to escape from his captors. The third pirate's hands folded on top of each other as they seated their legs on the counter.

"So, I have a new customer, do I?" said the third pirate, their grin curled into a sneer.

The mabu was forced into a chair while the other two pirates loomed above him. They tried their best to wiggle out of their trap… But it was no use. Every little jolt, every little wiggle made the pirate guards slam them back into the chair. That mabu was clearly at a disadvantage.

_Who do those dudes think they are?! _Zap thought as he growled low, sparks crackled at his mouth, _Games aren't any fun if you make someone play 'em!_

The stall pirate went on to explain something, but it was inaudible to Zap's ears, mostly because he was too angry to care. As his whole body grew slimy and sticky, Zap narrowed his eyes further, his focus completely zeroed in on the stall pirate. Then in a flash he leaped out of the stall pirate and tackled the stall pirate out of his seat! The stall pirate scream out in shock as he turned around and saw Zap seated on his chest and ready to shoot.

"GUARDS!" The stall pirate as he shook his fist, "GET THIS LIZARD!"

"I'm not a lizard, dude!" Zap growled, his voice a bit staticy from the lightning that charged at his muzzle, "I'm a dragon and YOU'RE toast!"

Before Zap could shoot, however, he heard earth-shattering footsteps and turned around only to gulp.

The two burly pirate guards had abandoned the mabu they were tormenting and imposed themselves over Zap, their muscles rippled as they crackled their knuckles and growled.

"You dudes seem really tense!" Zap sat firm on the stall pirate, his muzzle crackled with electricity, "Looks like you need some ELECTRO-THERAPY!"

As he finished his quip, Zap shot off a round of lightning bolts at the pirates… Then watched as they merely flinched and rolled their head around!

_Crap, these dudes are too thick for my lightning, _Zap leaped off the stall pirate, _Looks like it's time for Plan B!_

In a flash, Zap zipped right under one pirate's legs and zoomed a good bit away! He then watched as his skin secreted a thick goo that coated his legs and made them extra-shiny. C'mon, just a little more… Zap stopped short as he heard the earth shake and zoomed away once more. He knew what that meant! He zoomed to the right, only to stumble into a stop and he bumped straight into the legs of a bulky guard!

"SCUSE ME!"

Zap zoomed southward before the guard could capture him, then promptly saw another guard charge after him and veered right! It seemed like he was getting away in time as he felt his skin grow moister, then he saw a house come into view!

With a shout of surprise he turned left, only to spy another pirate guard loomed over his path and turned southwest. But wasn't he lucky, there was another guard there too! Zap snorted and dashed right under the guard's legs once more, then whipped around and opened his jaw as wide as he could.

"You dudes don't give up, do you?!" Zap demanded as a giant yellow glow emerged from his mouth, "All I've gotta say to that is COWABUNGA!"

As Zap finished his cry, a giant lightning bolt probably twice his size bounced out of his mouth and launched itself straight at the twin guards! The guards shouted out in pain as their entire body jittered with electricity so intense it made their fur stand on end, literally!

While they were busy getting shocked, Zap zoomed back to the stall. After all, those guys wouldn't be a problem for a bit.

"Alright, dude, you're cornered," Zap exclaimed as he jumped onto the stall and glared down the stall owner, who was brushing slime off of his coat, "You better tell me what's going on here?"

"Cornered?" The stall pirate chuckled as he glared down Zap with a fanged smile, "Who says I was cornered?"

"What're you talking about?!" Zap bore his teeth and took a step forwards, "I took out your—MMPH!"

Zap was cut short as something grabbed him by the back and yanked him off of the stall! It was something so strong, so bulky that no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free, and he could barely breath from him tough a grip it had on him! It was making his head spin! As Zap squirmed and tried to shout out, he heard a familiar low cackle while something turned him around to face his captors...

Who were none other than the pirate guards he had dodged earlier! Despite a few singed hairs, they seemed perfectly fine! But how?! That bolt was several thousands volts of lightning at least…

"Me guards are a lot more resilient than ye give them credit fer, lizard," The stall pirate scoffed, "Speakin' of lizards, guards!"

The guards turned back to the stall pirate with orders carefully awaited.

"How's about a game of pop the lizard?"

The guard that held Zap in his clutches made a sickeningly gleeful grin as he tightened his grip around Zap's neck!

Zap croaked out as he swung around and tried to kick the guard, but it was nothing to the guard who only continued to keep Zap in his chokehold. Zap could only feel his head go numb as his vision started to fail… Then something hit the guard on the head and caused him to loosen his grip!

Zap grasped for air, for sweet oxygen as he felt his strength return to him and looked down at the ground to find… A playing card? Zap then heard groans above him as the guard who kept him captive moaned and stumbled about. Wait, now's his chance!

Zap closed his eyes and shuddered as he felt another layer of slime coat his body until he was nice and slick, then wiggled his way back onto the ground!

The second guard yelled out to the first and jabbed his giant finger at Zap. But, those few seconds of hesitation were all Zap needed to finish this.

Zap looked down at his slime-coated paws, zapped them with a bolt of electricity, then giggled as he felt the familiar, stinging surge of electric power tickle his entire body! The sheer strength of the current that covered him made him glow like a giant lightbulb, but he didn't mind. It was just what he needed!

Zap gargled as the guards looked down at him with a level of surprise or maybe fear, then yowled as Zap charged forward and headbutted them right in the chest! The guards fell onto their backs as their whole body crackled with electricity. Meanwhile, Zap landed on them and smirked as he wiped his paws on their chests—his paws that were covered in electrically-charged slime! With every stroke of Zap's paws, more electricity surged into the guards, who screamed with pain each time till they finally fell unconscious.

Zap scoffed, then zoomed back and jumped onto the stall, his gaze directed back at the stall pirate. The stall pirate, in return, now gazed at Zap with such an intense level of fear that it looked like he had seen a ghost!

"I'll give you two options, broski," Zap gurgled as he paced back and forth on the stall, "You can tell me what you're doin' here and I'll let you go free…"—Zap then glared down the pirate—"Or, I can splash you with slime that's been charged up with five thousand volts of raw lightning!"

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" The pirate sobbed as he dove under the stall and trembled, "I'll tell ye what ye want to know!"

"Glad to hear it, dude!" Zap's tone became cheery as he hopped onto the pirate's chair and looked down at the pirate, "What are you dudes here for?"

"What do ye think we're here fer?" The pirate scoffed, then whimpered as Zap shot him another glare, "TREASURE! Our cap'n had us come here to steal the island's treasure!"

"And where is that boss?"

"He's at the mayoral estate, on top of that giant hill over there!"

The pirate crawled out from his hiding spot and pointed over to a giant hill topped with a fancy-looking mansion that loomed over the island. Yeah, that definitely looked like a mayoral estate.

"Thanks for the tip, bro!" Zap hopped off the chair and watch the electric charge that once surged through his slimy body slowly fade away, "Oh, and by the way…"

The pirate whimpered as he stared at Zap, then yelled in surprise as he was splashed with a giant glob of slime and stuck to his stall.

"Don't go anywhere!" Zap smirked as he skated off.

While Zap skated away, the land slowly turned less and less dense with population. No pirates, no mabu, no nothing! Just the occasional lamppost or old, abandoned building, maybe a shadow figure or two… Wait, shadowy figure?!

"Who's there?!" Zap exclaimed as he saw a slender, shadowy figure dash off and disappear into the shadows out the corner of his eye… Did he imagine it? Zap only shrugged as he skated over to the hill.

"Can't worry about that right now!" Zap chirped as he disappeared from view, "I've got a mayor to save!"

§

Spyro groaned as he rubbed his head. His body felt so, so, weak, but not weak enough that it prevented him from sitting up and looking around. Last he remembered, he was on that battlefield with… Spyro shuddered as his heart stopped for a few beats, then slowly came back to speed as he looked around.

All he could see with nothingness, just liminal, blank space for endless miles.

"You doing alright, Golden Boy?" Asked a vaguely familiar voice.

Spyro swerved his head, then gasped and stumbled back as he found himself face-to-face with Chihiro! She looked no worse for wear, thank the Ancients, but her brown eyes rang with a level of gentle concern he had rarely seen before.

"Chihiro, you're okay!" Spyro exclaimed as he looked up at her, then frowned and looked away, "… Looks like I couldn't get you out of that thing, though."

"Man, I'm lucky I was able to pull off that teleportation spell!" Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief and tugged on her jacket, oblivious to Spyro's upset, "I almost thought we wouldn't make it out of that battle with Kaos!"

Spyro just stood there speechless for a few more minutes, then shook his head and forced himself to walk up to Chihiro.

"Did _you_ get me out of there?" Spyro asked at last.

Chihiro beamed and nodded, but her answer didn't reassure Spyro at all. In fact, it only made him feel worse! Spyro drew back as his mind flared with all kinds of thoughts.

"What, wait…" Spyro twitched his tail ever-so-frantically, "How much of that did you see? What did you hear? What are you—"—Spyro just shook his head and snorted—"That doesn't matter, just, forget you saw anything!"

"Spyro." Chihiro's smile faded to a look of concern as she knelt down to his head, "Is that why you've been so upset?"

Spyro's jaw dropped as he took another step back. So she had seen all that! He didn't know why, but some kind of awful feeling fell over Spyro as a pit opened in his heart. It was like, like he was weak and vulnerable and everybody was watching him suffer.

"You, you…" Spyro just turned away and twitched his tail once more, his voice cracked just a bit, "That's for me to deal with, Chihiro. You don't need to know."

"But I saw that whole thing!" Chihiro pouted and stomped her foot, "Why won't you let me help you?! Do you not trust me or something?!"

"Chihiro, stay out of it!" Spyro stepped forward and flared his wings, his tone swapped from cracked to sharp and venomous, "I'm strong enough to handle my own issues! If I couldn't even handle my own personal problems, I don't know how I'd manage as a Skylander."

Spyro flared his nostrils as he realized the shift in tone, then looked over at Chihiro's startled face. As his gaze faltered, he hung his head and turned away.

"Sorry, but… You don't need to worry about me." Spyro slowly flapped his wings as he got ready to take to the skies, "You all have better things to worry about than me. I'll only drag you down if I bring up my issues!"

Spyro turned around and flew off, only moments spent lingering on Chihiro's taken-aback gaze… Then he heard someone run after him.

"That's not true at all!"

Chihiro raced forward, grabbed Spyro's paw, then hugged him as he fell down from shock. Pure silence echoed throughout the room, but Spyro didn't notice—he could only bury himself into Chihiro's hug. It was warm, and soft, and comforting… So ripe with concern.

"I think I understand how you feel now." Chihiro stood up and smiled, "Since everyone's already dealing with so much, you don't want to give them more things to worry about!"—Chihiro cast an aside gaze before she strengthened her smile and looked back at Spyro—"You, don't want to burden them or let them down."

Spyro bit his lip, unable to make anymore words.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Chihiro turned around and stood up.

"… How would you understand any of that?" Spyro asked as he looked at Chihiro.

"Tell you what! If I told you my deepest, darkest, secret, would you be more comfortable talking about it?" Chihiro radiated with an angelic aura as she made a kind smile, "It'll be like a trade, you'll know my problems and I know yours. That way, it won't be like you're just loading all your issues on me!"

Spyro paused and looked up at Chihiro, then at the floor and back again. He wasn't sure what kind of deep, dark secret Chihiro could possibly have, but at the same time she did kind of make a good point. At least he could feel like he was doing _something _to help. And besides, she seemed earnest enough. She must really care about him if she wanted to go to all those lengths to help him...

Spyro heaved a sigh, and reluctantly nodded. "Alright, I'll hear you out."

"Okie dokie then!" Chihiro chirped and smiled as she looked over at the room around them.

Spyro made an exclamation of slight surprise as he looked up, then found that he and Chihiro weren't in that liminal space anymore!

Instead, they were in the back of what appeared to be a colorful classroom primed for young children. The floors and carpets were brightly-colored and decorated with all kinds of cheery childlike décor. Children's drawings, worn picture books and toys and all that fun stuff. And of course, scattered around were a bunch of kids who all looked to be no older than four or five, all of whom talked among each other as they sat in a circle.

In front of the crowd, right next to a wooden desk was a young woman dressed in formal clothing who talked to the crowd, though Spyro couldn't hear what she was saying. Next to her, another young child clung to her skirt.

But oddly enough, that child looked a lot like… Chihiro? Well, a younger Chihiro anyways. Her black hair barely reached her shoulders and her frame was a bit rounder and more youthful compared to Chihiro's, but only just a bit. Tears stung brown eyes that rang with fear, and she donned a pink t-shirt and salmon-colored shorts alongside sneakers of similar colors.

Spyro frowned and tilted his head then looked back up at Chihiro, who only nodded as if she knew what he was going to ask.

"Yeah, that was me." Chihiro's voice sounded a little worn as her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "I'm not actually from the States, y'know. My folks moved there when I was five cause of my dad's job."

As Chihiro spoke, the scene slowly moved on. The teacher coaxed the younger Chihiro out from behind her skirt, and in turn the young Chihiro warily looked at the class. The young Chihiro tried to open her mouth, but immediately closed it and stepped back.

"It was awful, let me tell you. I lived halfway across the globe, didn't know anybody other than my parents and couldn't even speak a lick of English!" Chihiro's voice cracked a bit, then she took in a breath and collected herself.

"Unfortunately, that made me ripe for the picking."

As the young Chihiro whimpered, one of the kids—a blonde-haired girl in pigtails who wore a baby blue dress—giggled as she talked to a boy seated next to them. One laugh turned to two, then five… Soon the entire class laughed at the younger, terrified Chihiro. Now in tears, all the young Chihiro did was sob and run out of the classroom as the screen faded to gray.

"I was always that weird kid who couldn't speak English all that well, and when they found out I was autistic it got even worse! All the weird stuff I did like getting really into things or really upset over small stuff or really sensitive or weird noises… It made me the outcast, I guess."

As Chihiro carried on, tears welled in her eyes before she sniffed and wiped them away.

"As far as they were concerned, I'm that kid they can laugh about with the people who actually like them, cause, well, nobody really likes me."

Soon the screen rolled again and many more memories flashed around them, but none of them were pretty. Childhood bullies teasing her in the halls, lonely nights spent crying in the darkest corners of her bedroom, her gazing at pictures of happy friends on the TV with an almost yearning sense of sadness…

Spyro couldn't help but feel strange as he watched her, so sad and forlorn, so different from the perky Chihiro who was always filled with energy and cheer. It was like this Chihiro he saw was a completely different person from the one he knew.

"As you could guess, I didn't really have a lot of friends," Chihiro said as she twirled her hair and stepped forward, "They all think I'm weird, or dorky, or that I'm… Well, I don't really wanna think about the other things that they call me."

Chihiro then lifted her head and beamed back at Spyro.

"But you guys, you actually like me!"

The sad memories faded away to newer ones, ones Spyro recognized! Chihiro talking with the Skylanders the night they met, joking with them in-between patrols, goofing off on the few free moments they had. As all these memories played around them, the area seemed… Warmer, happier even.

"You don't mind that I talk a lot, or laugh too loud, or act weird sometimes… You guys actually made me feel like I'm worth something!"

Chihiro's gaze trailed away a bit as she let go of her hair.

"But, I always had this fear that I'd lose you guys. I'd mess up too many times and you'd get sick of it, or you'd wise up and abandon me…"

Chihiro sniffled a bit, then she wiped her face and beamed.

"But you never did! You guys were always there to help me, and you were always so patient with me… You never gave up on me."

The memories shifted again, this time to all the various missions Chihiro had attended.

But, Spyro didn't pay much attention to them. What he cared about most was the one in the center in such a clear view he felt like he was almost inside it... Well, he technically was, because it was the time he and Chihiro had gotten trapped in the abandoned corners of Master Eon's library.

"Especially you, Spyro."

"… Especially me?" Spyro asked at last, the silence he had held from the shock of gaining this new information finally broken, "But, but why?"

"That time we got stuck in that old library, when I was sure you'd hate me and give up on me after everything I did before then… You told me that…"

"_That's where you're wrong." The past Spyro said as he looked back at Chihiro, _ _"Chihiro, if there's one thing Skylanders never do, it's give up! I know it seems bad right now, but if we put our heads together, I'm sure we can find a way out of here!"_

"That's right." Spyro felt his heart lift just slightly, "Skylanders never give up."

"Exactly!" Chihiro spun around and beamed, "You really inspired me that day, Spyro. After that, I promised myself that I'd never give up, that I'd work just as hard as you did!"

"Really?"

"You bet'cha!" Chihiro leaned down and hugged Spyro tight, "You're my hero, Spyro! And after everything you've done for me, the least I could do is help you back up!"

"Chihiro…"

Spyro felt a warmth build in his heart as he returned Chihiro's hug, a wave of calm now washed over him. Part of him couldn't believe she was that touched by what was just another day for him, but at the same time… It made his heart feel a little lighter, too. She really did care about him a whole lot, didn't she?

"Thank you," Spyro whispered as he withdrew from Chihiro's hug and made a solemn nod.

As he flew up and watched the memory screens fade to gray, Spyro reluctantly exhaled.

"Well, you fulfilled your end of the deal." Spyro watched as images flooded onto the screen.

They were all the same thing. Visions of Spyro fighting on battlefields against Kaos, all while his friends fell like flies and everything was consumed by Kaos's evil, the Core of Light captured in its midst…

"It's, well, er… It's not easy for me to put this into words, but… I guess you were right." Spyro's tail twitch as he held one leg with the other, "It's my fault that the Core of Light was destroyed and all this happened."

Spyro felt hot tears worm their way into his eyes, but he shook them away immediately. He couldn't possibly let anyone see him cry, even in a situation like this.

"If I was stronger, or faster, or maybe even a better leader than I am, I could've stopped Kaos, I could've prevented all this from happening!"

Spyro's voice cracked a bit as his flying slowed.

"I let everybody down! Master Eon, the other Skylanders, practically everybody in Skylands… I wasn't good enough for them. I've been pushing myself to work harder, to do everything I can to undo this, but I'm still not doing enough!"

As Spyro finally fell to his paws, he felt his whole body tremble but quickly shook it away. "No matter what I do, it's not enough to make up for failing like I did."

Chihiro stayed quiet and hummed as she examined the screens, particularly one on the rightmost side, the one that depicted the actual destruction of the Core.

"This was the day the Core was actually destroyed, right?" Chihiro asked as she pointed to the screen.

Spyro nodded. He believed Master Eon had filled her in on what happened during that battle, so she could've probably figured it out without his help... But, nonetheless he nodded.

"Tell me then, Spyro. Were you the one that set that weird hydra-looking thing on the Core?"

"Wuh, well." Spyro sputtered for a bit and shook his head, "No?"

"Did you personally invite Kaos to destroy the Core?" Chihiro turned around and gave Spyro an inquisitive gaze.

"No, why would I do that?" Spyro tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows, "Why are you asking me all this?"

"If you didn't do all that…" Chihiro's curious gaze turned knowing as she sat down in front of Spyro, "Then how could you have possibly destroyed the Core of Light?"

Spyro's mouth fell slightly agape as he watched Chihiro gaze at him, the space around now liminal and white once more.

"But—"

"No buts, Spyro." Chihiro leaned forward and hugged him once more, "You did everything you could've and then some to stop Kaos! You can't possibly blame yourself!"

As Chihiro looked back up at him, she smiled and stroked his crest.

"But." Spyro looked up at Chihiro, "Even then—"

"And nobody blames you. In fact, it's the opposite! Whenever the other 'landers talk about you, they… They always sound so worried. If anything, they all think you're working yourself a little too hard!"

"Really?" Spyro tilted his head.

"Yeah, they all care about you Spyro!" Chihiro smiled and let go, "They all want to be there for you. After all, you're their friend!"

Spyro only sat there and took in Chihiro's words. Though he didn't show it, he felt like something had finally lifted off of his chest, like the heavy burdens he carried had been lightened.

"And Spyro…" Chihiro gently lifted up Spyro's paw, "I may be your portal master and all, but… I'm your friend, too! Don't you remember what I said, that night when I found you all upset and all?"

Spyro exhaled a shallow sigh as he clasped his paw around her hand. His memory was too fuzzy to recall anything, but slowly the words came back to him.

"Even if you don't wanna talk about it…" Spyro whispered as he looked down at their joined hand and paw, "Just know that I'm always here if you need a shoulder to cry on."

"Or an ice cream sandwich," Chihiro finished with a wink, "Or both!"

Chihiro made a playful giggle, but stopped short as she clearly noted the thousand-yard stare Spyro gave her. She gently brushed a hand around his scaly head, then nuzzled him slightly and let go.

"That was a promise, Spyro." Chihiro beamed a soft, sunny beam as she rested her hands on her knees, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you. So don't think you have to deal with that all by yourself!"

For the first time that day Spyro felt himself smile, but not just any smile, no. He smiled a genuine, warm smile as he looked into Chihiro's brown eyes, which now radiated with a kind of warmth and wisdom he had never seen in her before. As energy and warmth flowed into his body, Spyro laid his paw on her hand and looked up at Chihiro.

"Thank you, Chihiro," Spyro said with the most earnest of tones, his heart warm and fuzzy as he squeezed her hand, "That… That really helped."

Spyro let go of her hand and flew high into the skies.

"Now come on, let's get out of here!" Spyro pumped a paw into the air as he looked down at Chihiro, his eyes filled with light and joy, "Together!"

"That's what I wanna hear!" Chihiro beamed and bolted ahead, "Let's go, Golden Boy!"

"Already on it, Chi!"

As Spyro flew away, he looked back and watched Chihiro's eyes sparkle with glee. They weren't going to give up now!

§

"That's gotta be the place," Zap whispered to himself as he looked a few feet away from what he presumed was the mayor's estate, "So how am I gonna get in?"

Zap mumbled something to himself as he looked over the base of the hill which the mayor's fancy-looking mansion rested on. The gates were locked up with all sorts of locks and chains, and tons of pirates were stationed in front of it. It would take him a while to take them all down… Unless he did it all at once! Zap smiled as he opened his mouth and felt static crackle at his throat, the same kind of static that he always felt as he got ready to shoot off his lightning. With a vague smile he got ready to shoot…

Then something swept the pirate guards off their feet, literally! The earth underneath them seemed to have exploded as they were all blown onto their backs. Wait, Zap recognized that technique…

"Terrafin!?" Zap exclaimed as he watched a familiar sharklike figure jump out of the earth and land on his feet.

As Terrafin went on to punch out the pirates' lights, Zap narrowed his eyes. There was no way he was gonna let Terrafin steal the show just like that! So, he fired off a round of lightning bolts and dashed forwards! While the pirates were distracted by the sudden noise, Zap slammed straight into one smaller guard and sent him flying!

"There you are!" Terrafin remarked as he made a playful smirk at Zap, "Thought you weren't gonna show!"

"What, did you think I was gonna miss the party?" Zap gurgled as he cast a smug look at Terrafin, "No way, dude!"—Zap then smiled as he gazed over the pirates that had them surrounded—"Bet I can beat more of these dudes than you can!"

"Is that so?"

Terrafin stretched his muscular arms, then shot forward and punched a surly-looking guard dude right in the mouth! While the guard stumbled back, Terrafin turned around and shot another rapid-fire barrage of punches at another group of seadogs who had tried to take him on.

As Zap watched Terrafin suplex another pirate, he made a forced smile and twitched his tail. Then, with a mischievous grin he whipped around and shot off a storm of lightning bolts towards the nearby pirates! As the pirates fell down to the ground with singed fur, Zap shot a look at Terrafin.

"Think you can top that?" Zap asked, an aura of smugness to his words.

"Oh, you bet I can!" Terrafin shouted back as he wound up his arm and punched through a whole line of tough-looking buccaneers!

Zap's jaw dropped in surprise, but he quickly covered it up as he shook his head.

"That's nothing, I could do that in my sleep!" Zap leaned down as if he was preparing a charge, "Heck, I'll show you!"

Zap coated himself in slime, shot a bolt of lightning at his paws and shot forward like a greased cheetah! Before any of their swashbuckling enemies could react, Zap had crashed into them and sent them flying like bowling pins!

As Terrafin watched, he only scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Eh, that's alright, kid," Terrafin remarked as he cracked his knuckles, "But that's nothing compared to this!"

Terrafin then dove underground, so far underground that nobody could see him! As the pirates frantically searched for him, he popped out moments later with such force that it tossed all the pirates that surrounded him in the air! While they struggled to regain their composure, Terrafin, hit them with punches so mighty it sent them all crashing back down as if they were baseballs! When he finally landed, Terrafin only smirked.

"That's cool, I guess." Zap stretched out and scanned the area around, "But I can do WAYYYY bett—Huh?"

Both Zap and Terrafin frowned as they looked around to see that all the pirates they were facing had fallen unconscious!

"Guess we knocked them all out." Terrafin shrugged and smiled.

"I did most of the beating down, I'm sure."

Zap slid over to the gate as Terrafin rolled his eyes and frowned.

"This place is supposed to be where that mayor guy is, but…" Zap poked an eye into the keyhole then withdrew his head, "Where's the key, dude?"

"Beats me." Terrafin shrugged and looked down at the pirates, "Maybe one of these guys has it."

The two of them popped all around the battlefield's site as they dug through pirate pockets and jackets… But no luck. There wasn't a key in sight!

"Where could that key be?" Terrafin asked as he scratched his chin.

Zap shrugged, or at least made the best shrug he could with his body type, then made a smirk.

"Hey, bet'cha I can find—" Zap stopped short as something shot out in front of him, "The key first?!"

The two of them whipped their heads around and stared at the gate, which had been unlocked and pushed open by…

"A playing card?" Zap skidded over and looked down at the ground, where a queen of hearts now rested on the grass, "Didn't I see one of those when…"—Zap shook his head and gazed at the open gate—"Eh, whatever."

With not a care in the world Zap zipped up the hill with Terrafin close behind.

Surprisingly, the whole area seemed pretty quiet… Until they reached the top! There, a bunch of bulky-looking were hauling treasure out of a rich-looking mansion and into endless treasure chests! To their side, a pirate sat behind a wooden table decked in playing cards, while a mabu man in fancy-looking blue and gold clothes sat inside a silver cage.

"Ye must be the Skylandees, aren't ye?" The pirate behind the table asked as he made a soft chuckle, "I'll tell ye what, when I heard from old cannon-face that ye came here I almost couldn't believe it!"

"Let that dude go and get outta here, dude!" Zap demanded as he slid up to the table pirate and slammed a paw on the table, "This isn't your turf to mess with!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, lad." The stall pirate merely shuffled a deck of cards as he spoke, "This man here is the mayor, and we'd surely get a mighty fine ransom from his capture!"—The pirate's eyes narrowed in an almost confident sort of way—"But if ye can beat me at Pirate Cards, I might make an exception."

Terrafin and Zap both smiled before Terrafin waltzed up to the table.

"Well, buddy, I'll—" Terrafin started before he was cut off by Zap pushing him back.

"You're on, dude!" Zap interrupted with a wide beam.

Before anything more could be said, however, Terrafin pulled Zap back with a frown.

"Zap, let me handle this!" Terrafin insisted, "I've dealt with these guys and their weird game before. I know what tricks they've got up their sleeves, you don't!"

"It can't be that hard, can it?" Zap remarked as he brushed Terrafin's hand off of his shoulder, "It's just a card game!"—Zap made a smug smile as he looked down Terrafin—"Or maybe you're just worried I'll be better at it than you are!"

"Seriously, Zap! You're being too careless about this!" Terrafin's tone turned more serious and scolding, "I'm tryin' to keep you from getting yourself in hot water!"

"Oh, what's the harm in the lad playing a round?" The stall pirate interrupted as he leaned back in his chair, "Let him have a go!"

Zap only smirked up at Terrafin, then zoomed back up to the table and watched as the stall pirate set his clock. As the clock was set and rested on the table, Terrafin drew forward and gazed over Zap's shoulder.

"Listen, you've gotta be careful," Terrafin warned as he gazed back at Zap, "These decks always have a trick to 'em. You get a match wrong, and it'll—"

"I'll be fine, Terrafin!" Zap shot back as he pushed Terrafin away, "You bugging me isn't gonna make me win any faster!"

"I'm just trying to help, Zap!" Terrafin growled just a little as he furrowed his brow.

"Ah ah ah," The stall pirate uttered as he waved his finger, "The rules say no outside help allowed, sharkie,"—the pirate whistled and watched as his pirate guards zoomed to his side—"Guards, take care of this!"

As the guards surrounded Terrafin, Terrafin growled and warmed himself up for a fight.

"I'm pretty sure you're not playing by the rules either, buddy!" Terrafin shot back as he glared at the pirate.

"It doesn't count if I make the rules!" The pirate only leaned further back and laid his legs on the table.

"That doesn't sound fair, but whatever." Terrafin crackled his knuckles and launched himself forward, "IT'S FEEDIN' TIME!"

While Terrafin duked it out with the surly guards behind them, Zap fixed his gaze on the cards and frowned. After a few short moments of contemplation, he flipped over a card that depicted a ship on its side.

"Schooner!" The table pirate proclaimed.

Zap then flipped over an adjacent card, which revealed… A picture of a map!

"Map!" The stall pirate only watched with a smug grin as the cards flipped back over.

Zap grimaced a bit, then flipped over the schooner card once more.

"Schooner!" The stall pirate announced.

"Do you have to do that, dude?" Zap asked as he looked at the stall pirate, who only nodded in response.

Zap groaned, then flipped a card a few spaces down which depicted a picture of a pirate's hat.

"Hat!"

Zap growled as the cards flipped themselves over once again. His teeth and ambitions bared, Zap continued to flip over the cards but with no more success than before.

"Schooner!"

"Blackbeard!"

"Schooner!"

"Booty!"

"Schooner!"

"Map!"

This continued on and on for the next several minutes much to Terrafin's displeasure. With a twitch of his eyebrow and an irritated growl, Terrafin socked a guard in the stomach, watched as he reeled back, then slid leftwards as another guard swung towards him. As he narrowly avoided the guard's attack, his eyes gazed back to Zap.

"Zap!" Terrafin shouted, "The other map card's—"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, TERRAFIN!" Zap shouted as he looked back at Terrafin and shot him a glare, "I'm doing fine without your help, dude!"

Terrafin made a toothy frown before another guard punched him in the chest and sent him flying! With a groan he slid down the lawn, then staggered up and body slammed right into the guard's chest! Terrafin smirked and wiped the dirt off his brawny hands as the guard fell down with a loud pound, then a shadow or two cast over him and caused him to look up.

There, the remaining guards growled as they loomed over him, the shadows they cast only an added factor to their intimidation.

However, Terrafin clearly wasn't concerned. He merely dove underground and swam under their legs! As they shouted and looked about, Terrafin leaped out from then ground and well over them, then body-slammed them into the dirt! While they staggered up with dizzy heads, Terrafin jumped back and slid into an intense punch that sent them both hurtling into the mansion's walls!

While Terrafin fought some more in the background, Zap's own fight wasn't going very well. Half his time had passed, and he still hadn't made a match!

"C'mon, c'mon, gotta find something…" Zap whispered as he flipped over a card to the far left.

The card's background was a bright red rather than the parchment yellow of the others, and it depicted an image of Kaos in a pirate captain's hat. It seemed almost… Cursed, really.

Zap frowned as he hung his head and trembled, then looked up at the stall pirate, who only sneered.

Meanwhile, Terrafin stood up as he watched the pirate guards he fought get up from their spot of rest, then his arms drooped slightly. He seemed… Tired, almost, as if the heat of the fight was finally getting to him. Terrafin stepped forward and went to punch the guards once more, but they were far faster! The first of the few jumped forward and punched Terrafin right in the gut!

"Terrafin!" Zap shouted as he looked back and watch Terrafin soar through the skies.

Zap frowned as he glazed over the cards once more while his heart throbbed in his throat. While he gazed, he made a tired groan and stumbled a bit on his feet, as if he was drained of his life. Then, with a shake of his head he made a tired gaze over the cards. They all were no less identical than usual, save for one that seemed to have some kind of strange glow to it…

"What about this one?" Zap asked himself as he flipped over the card with the strange aura to reveal… A match! It was completely identical to the strange red card he had flipped over earlier!

"Finally!" Zap lazily pumped a fist into the stratosphere, "I matched one! You're in for it now, dude!"

"I wouldn't be so certain, lad," the pirate replied as he crossed his arms and smirked.

"What're you talking about?" Zap looked down at the cards, then gasped as the ones he matched evaporated into a cloud of purple smoke.

Before Zap could react further, the smoke slammed straight into him! With a tired groan, Zap stumbled about before he finally lost all his strength and fell onto the grassy floor, completely asleep.

"Zap!" Terrafin exclaimed as he looked over at Zap, only to get smacked straight in the face with the another puff of smoke! The moment it made contact, Terrafin's eyelids drooped over his eyes and he fell face-first onto the ground.

All was silent as the pirates who once fought Terrafin and Zap now gazed at their comatose bodies, which laid cold and asleep on the wreckage of what was once a beautiful lawn. The battle was over and the Skylanders had decidedly lost.

"Heh," the stall pirate scoffed as he looked over Terrafin and Zap's comatose bodies, "Nobody excepts me trump card, the pirate curse! Ye match it, and ye immediately lose."

The pirate hopped away from the table, then walked over to Terrafin and gently flicked him on the nose. When Terrafin didn't respond in the slightest, he moved on to Zap and did the same thing with similar results.

"They're completely asleep, boys!" The stall pirate placed his hands on his hips, "Haul 'em off! We'll get a mighty fine ransom from these two!"

"Aye aye!" The burly pirates responded as they picked up Terrafin and Zap and dragged them away alongside heavy loads of treasure.

But, as the two of them were carried away, nobody noticed a figure as they watched from the shadows and gasped.

"I need to find him, fast!" The figure whispered as they ran into the shadows and disappeared under the cover of darkness…


	15. Chapter 15

**And now... Chapter fifteen! I don't really have much to say here beyond my excitement to share this chapter with everyone! So, enjoy the show!**

**Watch Seeker: A devil's playground indeed... But hey, she has the Skylanders now and that's what counts!**

* * *

"This must be the place," Chihiro remarked as she and Spyro stared over the open mouth of the pathway before them.

As the path stretched on, the liminal white space was replaced with the familiar singed greenery and taint of death that Spyro's worst nightmare held, complete with an oncoming sense of dread... But, they couldn't stop now.

"If we're gonna get out of here, we'll need to defeat that illusion of Kaos," Spyro said as he flew in place and put a claw to his chin, "But how…"

"Yeah, it's not gonna be easy." Chihiro frowned and looked back at the imaginary Kaos from the safety of their magical doorway.

That imaginary Kaos looked awfully powerful, but then again being hyped up on all the Skylanders' energy would probably do that to a person. His whole body radiated with an aura of strength and intimidation as his skin turned to mottled patches of an entire rainbow—red, blue, yellow, green, purple, some things they weren't entirely sure WERE colors… Gigantic tendrils covered in bones, leaves, coral and other elemental accessories sprung out from his back, which only added to his monstrous appearance. How in Skylands were they supposed to beat that?

"Wait…" Spyro's wings flapped just a bit faster, "I think I have an idea!"

"You do?" Chihiro turned back to Spyro, then watched him fly over to her and whisper a plan in her ear. With a few rapid nods, Chihiro smiled and gave Spyro a thumbs up.

"I think that might just work, Spyro!" Chihiro withdrew her thumbs up and looked at the battlefield once more then gulped and nodded. Though her legs shook, her gaze was steely and resolute.

"Now, let's go!" They both shouted in unison.

Chihiro disappeared from view as she and Spyro crossed over the barrier that lead to the battlefield, but not before she gave Spyro a simple wink.

"KAOS!" Spyro called and he flew back into the imaginary Kaos's vision.

"So you've returned, have you?" Kaos sneered, his voice laden with mockery, "Hopefully it's to face your end with dignity. After all, that's all you have now!"

Spyro winced as Kaos cackled once more, but he shook his head and glared down Kaos nonetheless.

"Any last wishes, _dragonfly_?"

"Actually, I do have one." Spyro placed his paws behind their back, vaguely caught a glimpse of a multicolored light flare, then withdrew a faceted crystal sphere that shimmered with magic, "Could you destroy this sphere with one of your elemental attacks?"

"WHAAAATTT? THAT'S IT?!" Kaos drew back with a scowl of disgust on his face, "You want the GLORIOUSLY EVIL KAOSSS to do something as simple as that?! BAH!"—Kaos scoffed and turned away—"Don't try and waste my time, dragonfly—you're only delaying the inevitable!"

"Well, if you're not strong enough to destroy something as simple as a crystal like this, that's fine I guess." Spyro laid down the crystal, "I guess even mighty, powerful evil villains have their weaknesses too."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Kaos pointed a finger at Spyro, "I could destroy that crystal any day of the week if I wanted!"

"You don't have to be so proud, Kaos." Spyro made a hapless shrug, "If you don't want to waste your time on the impossible…"

Kaos growled as a bright red blush of frustration dusted his face.

"Then I won't force you." Spyro placed a paw on the crystal, "I suppose it would be quite embarrassing, being unable to—ACK!"

Spyro stumbled back as a giant orange blast of energy slammed straight into the crystal!

"See?" Kaos glared with pride as he gazed over the flash of light that followed, "I could TOTALLY DESTROY—HUH?!"

Kaos's proud look faltered into one of surprise as the glow faded and revealed that the crystal sphere was still intact! It glowed with a faint glow of orange, and its few cracks had even been healed! It was like it was fresh out of the box!

"Well, guess I was right." As Kaos fumed with rage, Spyro made a smirk, "Messing with that sphere was just too hard for you—"

Kaos then shot a blast of purple, magical energy at the sphere, which rolled away a few paces… Only to still be completely intact!

"Grr…" Kaos gritted his teeth with his tendrils flared with magic, then shot off a bunch of blasts at once, "TAKE THIS, YOU STUPID SPHERE! AND THAT! AND THESE TOO! WITNESS THE FULL POWER OF KAOSSSSSSSSS!"

As Kaos shouted out his cries of battle, eight more magic blasts that were all colored in a rainbow of hues homed in on the crystal sphere and smashed into it all at once!

Spyro winced as he watched the sphere glow as bright as the sun… Then smiled as the glow faded and unveiled the sphere, which was still intact save for being covered in slowly-sealing cracks!

"HOW?! HOWWWWWWWWWWWW?!" Kaos demanded as he clasped his hands on his bald head, "HOW COULD THAT THING WITHSTAND THE SHEER POWER OF THE ALL-POWERFUL KAOS?!"

"Chihiro, the crystal, now!"

"GOT IT, GOLDEN BOY!" Chihiro's voice shouted back as a warbling sound echoed around the battlefield!

Sure enough, attached to the crystal was none other than Chihiro! She latched onto it with glowing hands and watched as its cracks were finally sealed away. Then with a smile, she jumped up and served the crystal like a volleyball!

"CATCH, SPYRO!"

Spyro scraped his paw against the ground, then lowered his horns and charged straight into the sphere! The sheer force of his charge cracked the sphere wide open, and with a giant flash of light every single elemental attack Kaos had sent into the sphere flooded out and into Spyro! But, they didn't hurt him in the slightest! Rather, they welcomed him into their arms, enveloped him with a welcome smile as they wrapped around his body and surrounded him in a rainbow cocoon!

Kaos and Chihiro's eyes widened while their mouths gaped open—Kaos's from shock, Chihiro's from wonder.

"Now you're in for it, baldy!" Chihiro shouted as she glared down Kaos with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye, "You just fell for our plan!"

"WHAT?!" Kaos demanded as he glared down at Chihiro.

"You see…" Chihiro smirked and crossed her arms, "While you smacked all your attacks into that sphere, I kept healing it! So all you did was give us a chunk of your power!"—Chihiro smirked as she watched Spyro's cocoon fade—"And now, we've leveled the playing field!"

Like a caterpillar from a cocoon, Spyro emerged from the light with elegance, his whole form radiated with power! His purple scales were now brighter and sleeker, like they had been completely polished and shined, while his horns grew twice their length and were now wrapped in vines and coral. His claws, crest and other spikes looked to have been made of shiny crystal or maybe even gold, while skeletal arms acted as a sort of armor for his wings. His eyes flashed a rainbow of colors, the same rainbow that glowed around him and gave him a faint look of power!

"Now, Kaos…" Spyro said as his voice echoed with that of a thousand, "What were you saying? About this being the end of me?"

Kaos looked almost taken aback as he took in Spyro's new form, then his eyes glazed over to Chihiro as he smirked.

"Actually, change of plans!" Kaos proclaimed as he charged up a giant elemental blast and shot it off, "I'll get rid of your puny portal loser first!"

Spyro gasped as he got ready to fly over to Chihiro, but Chihiro was more than prepared! She merely summoned a giant tennis racket using magic, then parried the elemental blast right back at Kaos.

"Don't worry about me, Spyro!" Chihiro shouted as she gave Spyro a peace sign, "You just worry about beating Kaos's butt!"

Spyro nodded, then smiled and watched Kaos cry out in shock while he swiftly dodged the parried elemental blast. Now was Spyro's chance! Spyro shot through the skies, tackled Kaos straight in the chest and simply watched as Kaos fly back.

"WH-WH-WHOA!" Kaos cried out as he flew back then caught himself in midair. When he finally steadied himself, Kaos growled while a molten lava tendril attached to his back shot off a giant fireball!

But, Spyro was quick to retaliate as he shot out a giant blast of water! The water cooled the flames as soon as they made contact, and only steam could be seen from the battlefield.

"You go, Spyro!" Chihiro cheered as she looked up at Spyro and waved.

Spyro beamed and waved back at Chihiro… But that wasn't really the wisest idea as it gave Kaos the perfect opening! Kaos volleyed off another fireball, and this time it slammed Spyro straight in the chest! Spyro let out a pained scream as he was tossed back further into the skies!

Chihiro gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth, but her fears disappeared as Spyro shook off the attack and charged back into Kaos once more! Kaos screamed out as he barreled backwards, then let out a gasp of shock as a giant vine from below wrapped tightly around his body!

Kaos grunted and squirmed against the vine's grip while Spyro kept his gaze fixed on Kaos, his rainbow eyes now flashed a crisp, spring green. Kaos let out a growl that turned to a roar as a giant silver aura embodied him, then the vine rotted away into nothingness! Now free to fight, Kaos cackled while flaming skulls rained down on the battlefield!

Chihiro watched the fight with sparkling eyes, her vision fixed on Spyro as he swiftly dodged the skulls… Then she let out a scream as one crashed just inches away from here.

"Geez, talk about a fire hazard!" Chihiro remarked as she bounced away from the flaming skull and took sanctuary under a sturdy-looking rock formation. As she looked back up at the battlefield, Chihiro winced and bit her lip. This battle looked so intense, with both parties so powerful and neither of them willing to relent… It was impossible to predict how it would turn out!

"You can do it, Spyro!"

§

A cold wind blew through the alleyways as Slam Bam tightened his fists. Something about this whole place seemed… Suspicious, dangerous even, like something was going to jump him from the shadows at any moment!

"Who's there?!" Slam Bam demanded as he whipped his head around, only to look down and see a couple of crickets contently chirping away.

With a sigh, Slam Bam looked ahead and trudged further through the alleyways. The whole place was coated in a thin blanket of darkness that made it a teensy bit hard to see, but his ears were good enough direction as anything else.

"Hello?" Faintly called a voice from further ahead, "Is anyone here? Hellooooooo!"

"A voice!" Slam Bam hid behind a couple of conveniently-placed crates and looked ahead, but found that nobody was coming his way. No footsteps, to shadows around the corner, nothing!

"Helllooooooo!"

But still, that voice continued to resound. Yep, Slam Bam definitely couldn't have been imagining it. So, with a wary push he drew away from the crates and crept further down the alleyways.

"Wait, who's there?! Is someone coming?" The voice grew louder and louder as Slam Bam came closer and closer, "Please tell me you have a key or something!"

_A key? _Slam Bam cocked an eyebrow as he rounded a corner, _Why would someone need…_

Slam Bam's train of thought came to a screeching halt as he saw what was stationed around the bend—a mabu trapped in a cage!

"Wait, you're not a pirate!" The mabu exclaimed as he jumped back and hit the bars of the cage, "At least, you don't look like the others. What are you doing here?"

"You're right, buddy, I'm no pirate," Slam Bam replied as he walked forward and examined the cage, "I'm the one who's gonna get you out of here!"

The mabu breathed a sigh of relief then started to ramble on more, but it was all background noise in Slam Bam's mind. He was more focused on the cage itself!

While it was made of solid gold and had a keyhole and everything, it seemed frail enough that he could probably yank the door right off if he tried hard enough.

So, that's what Slam Bam tried to do! He latched all four of his beefy hands onto the door, then strained and pulled as hard as he could! Sweat dripped down his face as his mouth was twisted into a pained scowl, the entirety of his strength focused on pulling off that door.

"What are you doing?" The mabu tilted his head.

"Getting you out!" Slam Bam peeked a slight glimpse at the mabu then focused back on the door, "Stand back, this might—"

Before Slam Bam could finish, cackling echoed through the walls of the alleyways!

The mabu gasped and drew back, while Slam Bam let go of the cage door and whipped around.

"Awfully bold of ye to try and break the rules while we were on our lunch break," Cackled a hyena-like voice from the shadows, "But sorry, matey. Ye can't let the prisoners go without a game of Pirate Cards!"

Out from the alleyways' shadows stepped an entire crew of pirates! They were all dressed in stained rags and had crumbs woven throughout their beards and fur, but that didn't make the weapons in their hands look any less intimidating than usual.

"But, we could play a game right now, if yer interested~" The voice emitted itself once more, its source a seadog with spotted fur dressed in pretty fancy-looking pirate attire that had slight ketchup stains—or was it blood? It was hard to tell.

Slam Bam cast an aside glance in front of the cage, where he spotted a wooden table covered in a deck of cards. He wasn't sure how he missed it the first time with how big it was, to be honest.

His lemon eyes glazed over the table for a few moments… Then he knocked it over and glared down the pirates!

"Sorry buddy," Slam Bam said as he cracked his knuckles, "But I don't trust your little card games. I'd rather get straight to the point!"

"Ye heard him, mateys!"

In response, all the pirates around brandished, sharp, shiny cutlasses right at Slam Bam! Their fangs were bared and their eyes narrowed as they pointed the blades straight at him, but Slam Bam was the furthest thing from intimidated. Rather, he merely shot out his hand and cast out a gigantic ice block that encased the cutlasses' blades!

The pirates' jaws dropped as they tried to yank their weapons out of the ice, but it was no use! The ice block was far too cold and solid to safely remove the cutlasses out! While most of them tried to retrieve their swords, a few got impatient and just pulled guns out of their coats! With a twitch of their fingers, they pulled the trigger and shot!

Slam Bam only grunted as he tossed out more ice blocks and watched as the guns' projectiles all got trapped inside!

"Y'know, is it getting a little chilly here?…" Slam Bam cracked his knuckles, "OR IT IS JUST ME?"

With a might swing of his arms, Slam Bam punched his fists right into the center of the ice blocks and sent gigantic shards of ice flying everywhere! The sheer force from both the blast and the collision with the giant ice shards sent the pirates flying backwards into the houses that surrounded with a mighty CRASH!

While they groaned and slunk down, Slam Bam walked forward and cracked his knuckles once again, his teeth bared and his eyes lit with the will to fight! The pirates jumped up and got ready to attack… But their footing and focus was so disoriented from their little crash that all they could do was get yanked up by Slam Bam!

As the pirates squirmed against his grip, Slam Bam tossed them into the air four at a time, then shot them off with a storm of punches! The pirates could only scream as they flew back into the alleyways, then a thunk was heard as their screams became no more. They had all fallen unconscious, and left only Slam Bam and the mabu prisoner behind.

Slam Bam grunted, then walked over to an unconscious pirate who was fallen close by and fished his hand into the pirate's pocket.

"A-ha!" Slam Bam yanked out a shiny golden key, "This should work!"

Slam Bam then walked back to the cage and looked over the mabu. Slam Bam only made a gentle, warm smile, then unlocked the door and yanked it open! The mabu watched in wide-eyed wonder, beamed as he ran outside the cage and stretched.

"Thank you for freeing me!" The mabu exclaimed as he shook Slam Bam's hand, "I'm the shipmaster of this island! When those pirates came here, I tried to stop them, but I somehow accidentally ended up in that cage instead!"

Slam Bam just smiled and rolled his eyes, then turned alert and jumped back as something shot the nearby table!

"What was that?!" The shipmaster asked as he reeled back.

Slam Bam frowned, stepped ahead, then looked down at the wooden table to find that a playing card had been wedged into the wood! Slam Bam gingerly picked up the card and rubbed a thumb against its surface.

"'Your friends need your help at the mayor's estate,'" Slam Bam read, his frown only deepened as he flipped the card over. But, there was no continuation, only the printed image of a Queen of Hearts.

Slam Bam frowned and flicked the card aside, a newfound worry in his chest. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on… But whatever it was, it probably wasn't good, he could tell right in that instance.

"Did you say you needed to go to the mayor's estate?" The shipmaster asked as he stepped forward, then waved a hand, "I know a shortcut! Follow me!"

As the shipmaster ran ahead, Slam Bam nodded and ran after him. While he ran, he felt a sting of worry in his chest and grimaced.

_Hopefully they aren't in too much trouble…_

§

CRASH!

BANG!

BLAM!

WHOOSH!

These sounds and more were all heard as the battle between Spyro and Kaos raged further and further on! With every charge, every punch, every blast of raw elemental magic that shot out, it seemed like the stakes raised higher and higher!

And with every second that passed, Chihiro only grew more anxious.

"C'mon, Spyro, you can do it!" Chihiro whispered as she clasped her hands around the smooth rock she hid behind and poked her head over it, "Beat him down already!"

Back in the skies, Kaos and Spyro crashed against each other with the force of all the elements, literally. Spyro continually charged against Kaos in an attempt to get Kaos off his guard, but Kaos was diligent for a change. For every charge, Kaos merely deflected with a shield made of hard light!

"Do you really think you can beat _me, _the ALMIGHTY KAOS?!" Kaos demanded as he blocked another ram from Spyro.

"Well, you know what I say, Kaos," Spyro remarked as he opened his jaw, which crackled with a red-hot light, "DON'T DARE THE DRAGON!"

As he said this, Spyro shot out a volley of white, burning fireballs! As they all charged towards Kaos, Kaos smirked and dodged out the way as if they were nothing more than flies! Instead, these fireballs all crashed in a row on the battlefield, with some of them dangerously close to where Chihiro spectated the battle.

"ACK!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped out the way of a gigantic fireball before she looked up at the battle and shook a fist, "YOU GET HIM, SPYRO! ROAST HIM LIKE A CHICKEN! YOU'VE GOT THIS IN THE BAG!"

Despite the sheer distance in their positions, Spyro was clearly able to hear her words as he broke into a smile. However, a cocky laugh from Kaos soon turned that smile into a frown.

"You? Win? HA!" Kaos scoffed as he glared down Spyro, "What could you possibly do? You've already LOST! You lost your friends, you lost the Core of Light… You've already lost so much, why don't you just give up like a good little dragonfly?!"

Spyro jumped back a bit, clearly taken aback by Kaos's words… But not for long.

"That's where you're wrong, Kaos!" Spyro regained his composure and glared down Kaos once more, "You may have gotten the upper hand, but you haven't won yet!"

"Really? I don't know about that…" Kaos's tendrils stroked his chin as he smirked.

"You can keep saying that all you like, but I won't give up!" Spyro bore his now opalescent white fangs into a snarl, "No matter how many times you try to conquer Skylands, I'll always stop you!"

"But what can you do?! You're all ALONE! ALONE!"

"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!"

Spyro smirked as he watched Kaos stumble back in surprise—looks like Kaos clearly wasn't expecting _that_. With Kaos temporarily unarmed, Spyro shot out a blast of magic and watched as Kaos screamed in agony!

"Even if I'm on my own, they'll always be with me! The other Skylanders, Master Eon, Hugo, Flynn, Chihiro…" Spyro smiled down at Chihiro, then looked back at Kaos with sheer confidence, "Even when we're not together, they're always cheering me on! They've always been there for me, even when I lost sight of them!"

While Kaos regained his stature, Spyro clasped his front paws into fists.

"And as long as I have them to support me, as long as I have their hopes and encouragement in my heart…" Spyro's body glowed twice as bright as before, "I'll never give up!"

"That's a whole lot of talk, dragonfly," Kaos's tendrils glowed in a rainbow of colors, "Let's just CUT TO THE CHASE!"

With a whoosh and a snap, the tendrils all shot off elemental attacks of all kinds! Gigantic blasts of magic, crackling hot fireballs, skulls as hard as rocks, everything one could think of was caught in the mix!

Yet, Spyro was not concerned in the slightest! He merely closed his eyes, then opened them to reveal they had changed in color to a striking violet! Just then, the attacks that once barreled towards him all stopped in place before they whipped around and shot straight at Kaos!

Kaos's eyes widened as every single attack he flew off came back to bite him, all in such a sudden manner that he couldn't do a thing! All he could do was stand there and scream as all the attacks crashed into him in a bright rainbow explosion!

Spyro shielded himself from the blow with a shield of magic, then watched as the explosion faded… To reveal that Kaos was completely gone! His body was little more than a mold of rainbow energy that slowly slipped out of its shape and flowed back into the ground.

Spyro smiled as he watched the last of Kaos fade away, then closed his eyes and glowed in a bright rainbow. With a flash, he returned to his normal form and watched as all the energy he stole from Kaos was released back into the world.

As he landed back onto the ground, Chihiro came out of her hiding place and smiled, then looked around as the area slowly glowed in a rainbow-colored miracle!

The broken ground and dead grass slowly sprung back to life, literally! The red-painted skies turned to a crystalline blue as puffy clouds popped up like rabbits, the wreckage and disarray slowly repaired itself, and most importantly…

"Ugh…" Gill Grunt groaned as he sat up and rubbed his aching head, "What happened?"

"I don't know, man," Terrafin remarked as he got up and stretched, "Last I remember, we were fighting…"

"KAOS!" Eruptor exclaimed as he jolted back up and whipped his head around, "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Sure enough, all the Skylanders had been revived! One by one their consciousness returned as the battlefield was restored to its former, beautiful state. Though unfortunately the sudden revival did nothing to cure their confusion.

"Everyone, everyone, don't worry!" Spyro shouted out in his most leaderly voice, "Kaos is gone now, we took care of him!"

"Really?!" The other Skylanders exclaimed at one as they crowded around Spyro and Chihiro.

Chihiro nodded and made a matching beam.

"You bet!" Chihiro chirped as she bounced up and down, "It was so awesome, too! You should've been there to see it!"

"Why, this calls for a celebration!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he and the others Skylanders lifted Spyro and Chihiro up in the air.

"HIP HIP!" The Skylanders shouted as they tossed Spyro and Chihiro in the air!

"HOORAY!" They exclaimed as they caught Spyro and Chihiro when they landed.

"HIP HIP!"

"HOORAY!"

"HIP HIP!"

"HOORAY!"

"Chihiro, I think something's wrong!" Spyro shouted over the crowd while he looked back at Chihiro, "Why haven't we left the simulator yet?"

"I don't know!" Chihiro shouted back with a shrug, "Maybe it's because I haven't faced my worst fear yet?"

"You haven't?!"

"Nope!" Chihiro shrugged and shook her head, "I kinda ran off in a panic!"

As the Skylanders dropped Chihiro and Spyro back down on the grass, Chihiro winced and looked away, then turned around as something grabbed her hand.

"Then, we'll just have to face it together!" Spyro beamed up at Chihiro and squeezed her hand with his warm, soft paw.

"Guess so!" Chihiro only smiled and giggled as she looked down at Spyro.

"Wait, you aren't staying for the party?" Gill Grunt asked with a frown.

Spyro flew up to Gill Grunt and placed a paw on Gill Grunt's shoulder.

"Sorry, guys." Spyro shook his head, "But the real world still needs us. We need to get out of here!"

The Skylanders all made a nod of understanding as they glowed with a faint, white light and left Spyro and Chihiro's side. Though they weren't the real versions of Spyro and Chihiro's friends, it still felt a little sad to see them go so soon after they were reunited...

"Be sure to beat up the real Kaos real good for us, Spyro!"

"Yeah!"

"Tell the real me that I said hi!"

Soon enough, the simulated battlefield and all its unreal inhabitants faded away in a soft glow of white, one that made everything look a bit ethereal and angelic. All that was left of it was a door.

Spyro and Chihiro then nodded, walked up to the door and placed their hands on its knob.

"On three," Spyro said as he tightened his grip on the knob, "One…"

"Two…" Chihiro said as her own grip grew firm.

"THREE!" The two of them shouted in union as they yanked open the door.

As they looked inside the door's contents only for loud, voracious growling sounds to echo, the two of them yelped and jumped back!

"Yeah, it definitely didn't look like that when I left it!" Chihiro shouted with a panic-striken tone.

§

"Is this the place?" Slam Bam asked as he looked down at the shipmaster, who only nodded as they both gazed over the area before them.

This area was a large hill, probably taller than any other space on the island. A winding cobblestone pathway was hidden away by an elegant metal gate… At least, it would have been if the gate wasn't already opened. On top that grassy hill rested a gigantic mansion that probably costed as much as every other building Slam Bam had seen on the island thus far. The whole place rang with a sense of ominous nature, though maybe that foreboding came from Slam Bam's worries. Either way, it was no use standing around here and worrying.

"Come on," was all Slam Bam said as he motioned towards the shipmaster and warily walked up the hill.

All around them, splintered wood, upturned earth, trampled grass and more covered the hill like snow in winter. Had there been a big battle here? There had to have been, because when Slam Bam arrived at the top the whole place was in shambles! The earth around the front yard was completely disheveled and tossed around, paths of grass had been singed and pulled out, blood stains dropped onto the stone pavement… Despite all this, the empty wooden stall that rested in front of the mansion's doorway seemed perfectly intact. Just what on Skylands could have caused this?

"So you came," said a soft voice from the shadows, "I feared you wouldn't have arrived in time."

"WHO'S THERE?!" Slam Bam demanded as he curled his hands into fists and bore his teeth, "SHOW YOURSELF!"  
"Calm down, I mean you no harm."

Slam Bam growled, then looked over to a shadowy corner behind the mansion, where a pair of eyes fixed its gaze on him and the shipmaster. Before Slam Bam could launch an attack, the figure brought up a playing card with a queen of hearts printed onto its surface! Slam Bam's arms dropped to his side as his rage subsided just a little. This had to have been the person who sent him the message… But who were they? Their voice did sound kind of familiar…

"… What happened here?" Slam Bam asked at last as he surveyed the wreckage, "It looks like a pack of reindeer crashed through this place!"

"Your friends came here to rescue the mayor." The shadowy figure looked down with a frown, "But unfortunately, they befell a worse fate."

"Don't tell me…" Slam Bam's heart stopped as he stepped back. It couldn't possibly…

"It's not that, don't worry." The figure seemingly shook their head. Granted, it was hard to tell since they were hidden in the shadows, but nonetheless. "The pirates had captured them, and they're getting ready to leave for their hideout!"

"THEY ARE?!" Slam Bam jumped forward, now raring to go, "Where are they now?!"

"A-HEM!" Interrupted a high, almost nasally voice from the sidelines, "Are you forgetting about someone? I'm still trapped here, you know!"

Slam Bam's eyes trailed to the right, and there he saw an ursine mabu man dressed in fancy blue and gold clothes trapped in a silver cage. His arms were crossed as he tapped his foot, an impatient frown stretched across his face.

Slam Bam, the shipmaster and the shadowy figure all awkwardly coughed into their hands, then Slam Bam and the shipmaster walked up to the cage. With a latch onto the door and a firm yank, the door was ripped off in an instant!

"Thank you," The mabu man sighed as he brushed himself off, "I may be the mayor, but the next time those pirates show their faces I'll, I'll—"

"There's no time to chit-chat!" The shadowy figure exclaimed from the shadows, "Those pirates are getting ready to leave with their spoils, and your friends!"—The shadowy figure dashed ahead of the others—"They've headed to the back docks, come on!"

"Right!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he looked towards the mayor and shipmaster, "I'll be right—"—Slam Bam stopped short as he found that the shadowy figure had completely disappeared from view—"Behind you."

As the mayor and shipmaster ran down the other side of the hill, Slam Bam warily followed. Just who was that person? Slam Bam could only ask himself as he gazed over the cloudy skies, his mouth twisted into the frown.

§

Chihiro winced as the crowd of angry students loomed over her and Spyro. They were all terrifying beasts… Literally!

The once-human students had morphed into beasts beyond any comprehension with looks akin to that of a horror film's screenwriter's worst nightmares! Gigantic insects with beady eyes and massive fang-filled jaws, odd creatures with medical needles for heads that were filled with some kind of glowing green fluid, monsters with colorful skin and sharp-looking horns akin to devils… If you could dream it up, it was there!

Chihiro wanted to move so badly, she surely did, but she couldn't. It was like her feet had been glued to the spot, only able to stare as the monsters closed in on them… Then Spyro took to the skies and grabbed on to Chihiro's shoulders!

"WHOA!" Chihiro exclaimed as Spyro lifted her into the skies.

"Hang on, Chihiro," Spyro exclaimed as his wings furiously pounded against the atmosphere, "We're in for a wild ride!"

"Huh?!" Chihiro looked up at Spyro to see his eyes glint with just a tinge of yellow, then nodded as she looked down.

The crowd of monster students growled and chanted as they raced up to Spyro and shook their fists! They looked even angrier than before, this really was the stuff of nightmares!

But, before they could do a thing, a flash of light shot out across the room! It was so bright, it practically absorbed the entire area and made it impossible to see a thing—Chihiro herself was only guided by the sounds of Spyro flying away and the faded cries of the angry mob. As the light faded and Spyro dropped her back on the floor, Chihiro heaved a sigh of relief and dusted herself off.

"Man, I wasn't sure we'd get out of there!" She remarked as she watched Spyro plop down next to her.

"Don't worry, Chihiro!" Spyro flew up to Chihiro and patted her shoulder, "As long as I'm here, you won't have to face all this alone!"

Chihiro made a gentle smile, then dropped into a confused expression as the sounds of growling and gnashing teeth drew close by. With a wince, she clenched her teeth as she craned her head aside…

And was alerted by the mob of monsters stampeding towards her! Normally she'd be terrified to see all these creatures, the living embodiment of everything she feared over the course of her life, coming right towards her… But with Spyro by her side, she felt just a tiny bit braver than usual! So, she drew into an offensive stand and looked at Spyro, who only nodded with her.

As she let out a mighty cry of battle, Chihiro launched herself into the fray and summoned a gigantic, magic-made can of bug spray! With a light press of the top, a toxic mist of spray manifested in the school halls! With a single whiff of it, the insect students grew dizzy and passed out across the floors! While they fell to the floors like flies, Chihiro smirked and whisked away the can with a shake of her hand.

A shout from across alerted her to Spyro, who had gotten into a battle of his own! As he charged into the body of one of the syringe monsters, Spyro's eyes flashed a bright blue the color of ocean waves. In a flash, the syringe monster glowed that same shade of blue while the liquid in its head gushed all over the place! It covered lockers, walls, ceiling, posters… Even the students got covered in the gunk! As they ran away from the rainy mess, the syringe student stumbled about and passed out onto the floor.

"Alright!" Chihiro shouted as she and Spyro high-fived each other.

The two of them jolted up as the sound of massive growling breathed down their necks, then gulped and turned around to find…

"Demons?!" Spyro exclaimed as he took a step back.

There right in front of them was a trio of massive, imposing students dressed in clothes made from animal furs with fluffy hair and multi-colored skin. Their yellow eyes, massive fangs and sharpened horns made them look like something out of the deepest pits of hell… And the gigantic, spiked metal clubs they held certainly didn't help the image either.

"No, they're oni!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped away while one of the oni slammed their club into the floor, "They're creatures from my home's legend!"

"Really?" Spyro asked as he flew out the way of another oni as it tried to punch him.

"Yep!" Chihiro nodded and bounced away from yet another swing of a metal club, "When I was little, my mom told me that oni would take away kids who didn't go to bed on time…"—Chihiro chuckled and scratched the back of her head—"To be honest, that actually made it harder for me to sleep than easier! I—WHOA!"

Before Chihiro could finish, the oni she was fighting slammed their club into the school halls and made everything around jump! Well, save for Chihiro, who merely backflipped onto the club and glared down the oni with a sense of silent rage.

"Watch where you're swinging that thing, buddy!" Chihiro shook a fist at the oni… Then stopped short as her eyes widened.

Why? Well, because the oni had pulled out a gigantic, cloth sack and smiled as it looked down at Chihiro. Surely, it was gonna whisk her away for dinner!

"Not today you don't!" Chihiro teleported away as the oni swung its sack down where she once stood, then placed her hands on her hips, "I only stayed up 'till midnight tonight!"

"That's still pretty late, though…" Spyro remarked as he scratched his chin.

Spyro's remark went unnoticed to Chihiro's ears, though. She was more focused on staying out of the oni's sack! With shouts and funny remarks all around she teleported every which way!

"Bet'cha can't catch me!" Chihiro exclaimed as she teleported on top of a row of rusty lockers.

The oni growled and swiped down its sack, but Chihiro blipped out in the nick of time and reappeared a couple feet away! As she hovered in midair, she stuck out her tongue and pulled down her eyelid. The oni roared with absolutely indignity as it ran forward and tried to catch her… But once again she teleported away before it could catch her! All it could do was crash into its fellow oni!

As Chihiro landed back down on the floor, she watched the oni fall into a dizzy heap on the broken floors then smirked and snapped her fingers.

"it's time you got a taste of your own medicine!" Chihiro remarked.

A gigantic, magical sack manifested over the oni as Chihiro spoke, then with a mighty sweep it captured the oni inside its magical cloth body and tied itself shut! The oni thrashed against it, but it was far too strong to be broken! It only sat itself back down on the floor.

"Five year old me, you've been vindicated at last." Chihiro crossed her arms and made the goofiest smile she could, "Man, that was so satisfying!"

"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself," Spyro warned as he turned back around and frowned, "We've still got the rest of the student body to take care of!"

Chihiro cocked an eyebrow, then turned around and found that much to her dismay, Spyro was right.

Though they had taken care of that small few, there were still plenty of angry, monstrous students! There was no time to waste!

So, with magic at the ready and more than enough determination to spare, Spyro and Chihiro sent out a flurry of attacks! Magic fireballs, sphere of energy, projectiles that surged with raw elemental power… It looked like a stormy battlefield as the monster students charged down the hall and got mowed down by the ranged attacks.

But unfortunately, there were still plenty to spare!

Chihiro cried out in shock as she narrowly dodged a jab from a needle monster, then turned around and kicked it in the back! While it fell to the ground, she turned back to her front and saw another needle monster charged towards her! But before she could react, Spyro charged forward and slammed it into a locker!

Chihiro beamed, then charged her hands with magical energy and spat out an entire round of magical bombs! As she juggled the bombs, Chihiro cocked an eyebrow and tossed them towards the raging crowds! In moments, the bombs exploded and covered the crowds in a thick layer of smoke!

While the monsters raged and stumbled about in confusion, Chihiro grabbed Spyro's paw and pulled him out of the fray.

"There's way too many of these guys!" Chihiro exclaimed as Spyro shook his head and collected himself, "It'll take us forever to get rid of them all!"

"You've got that right," Spyro scoffed before his eyes lit up, "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Chihiro tilted her head.

"We could combine our powers!" Spyro looked up at Chihiro with a ring of confidence, "If we fuse our powers into one giant attack, we could wipe the floor with them!"

"It's worth a shot!" Chihiro beamed and leaned back before she spun around and watched the smoke clear, "Come on!"

With a cry that slowly raised in volume, Chihiro's hands glowed with cyan magic energy that soon became so bright it completely masked those hands from view. Once they were completely enveloped, she merely held them up in front of her person and looked back at Spyro, whose whole body shimmered with purple light.

"Now!" Spyro cried.

With a swift nod, Chihiro clapped her hands and out from them came the biggest energy sphere she had ever summoned in her entire life! It was probably about the size of car and glowed so bright it was almost like you were looking at the sun!

As it raced off towards the crowds, Spyro shot off a gigantic blast of purple and white magic energy from his horns, then sat down and watched their twin attacks shoot off.

The further and further the attacks flew, the closer and closer they got until they were a hare's breadth away from each other.

Spyro, Chihiro, the monster students… Everybody could only watch in wonder as the twin projectiles drew closer and closer before they finally fused into one giant, cool-colored comet!

Then, the students finally realized what was happening and screamed! In a frantic haze they tried to dash off, but it was too late. The comet had gotten too close to outrun, so all they could do was stare and yell as that comet slammed into them and let out a mighty eruption of magic!

The blast scattered all across the halls, flung open lockers and doors alike and scattered glittery, colorful magic dust wherever it touched. When it finally faded away, it left behind completely clear hallways with not a monster in sight!

"Alright!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped up and pumped a fist in the air, "We did it! We beat 'em!"—Chihiro landed on the ground and shook the magic dust off her person—"And made a mess of the school, but whatever."

"That takes care of that." Spyro wiped magic dust off his paws and looked at Chihiro, "Now, let's get out of here!"

Chihiro chirped and nodded in agreement, but before they could move the whole school started rattling! Lockers rattled, floor tiles shook, billboards fell off their places on the walls… Everything shook with some kind of frightening power!

"Now what is it?!" Chihiro demanded as she placed her hands on her hips, before something wet and sticky dropped onto her nose! Chihiro frowned and wiped it off, then looked down at her hand. It was a liquidy, green substance, almost like…

"Slime?" Chihiro frowned as she looked over her hand for a few more seconds, then her eyes glazed over to the floor… And her jaw dropped.

"No… It couldn't be…"

Massive amounts of slime oozed down from the ceiling and piled onto the floor, almost as if it was taking a solid form…

"Who's causing all this racket?!" Demanded a warped, gargling voice as the smile pile jiggled to life!

With a jiggle, the smaller top of the pile popped on top with a pair of glasses and a short, smooth wig atop its body, all paired with a fancy looking tie!

"NO WAY!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped back… Then looked aside and watched Spyro snicker.

"What is that thing?" Spyro giggled as he placed a paw over his snout to mask his laughter, "It looks ridiculous!"

"It's the BLOBBICUS!" Chihiro pointed a finger as she broke into a cold sweat.

"The what?" Spyro cast a glance back at Chihiro.

"When I was seven, I watched this really cheap kids movie." Chihiro shuddered as she lowered her arm, "It was about this science-y goop monster that came to life and wanted to kill the man who tossed it out! It could sneak in anywhere and just, trap you in its goop! It scared the daylights out of me!"—Chihiro then looked over at the Blobbicus once more and chuckled—"Well, looking at it now it does look kinda, silly, but—"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SILLY?!" The Blobbicus demanded as it slid after Chihiro.

"CRAP!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned tail and dashed off, her breath heavy, "Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back…"

But unfortunately, Chihiro's curiosity got the best of her, so she craned her head around… To find the Blobbicus barely a foot away from her!

"YOU INSOLENT BRAT!" The Blobbicus leaned forward and sped up, "I DON'T GET PAID ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH YOU LOT!

Chihiro only screamed and ran forward, but in her haste she didn't pay attention to where she was going and slid on a pile of magic dust! With a scream Chihiro flew up in the air, then fell back down right as the Blobbicus slammed into her! When Chihiro opened her eyes, she found herself trapped in a mass of gelatinous green goop! She tried to scream, but the moment she opened her mouth it was filled with the stuff! As she futilely tried to thrust against the sticky, firm mass of gelatin, the Blobbicus merely slid away.

"You're going to detention, mi—"

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro exclaimed as he charged straight at the Blobbicus!

The Blobbicus screamed as it slid out of Spyro's path, but like a raging bull set on its target Spyro wasn't gonna give up! He just turned around and charged again! This sudden turn of events caught the Blobbicus so off-guard it could only stand and watch in horror as Spyro slammed forward and dove his head into the Blobbicus's body!

His breath held tight, Spyro tried to reach out and grab Chihiro, but the slime was so thick he could barely move a paw, let alone his leg! His eyebrows clenched, Spyro's eyes flashed red while he emitted a heat so warm it tinted his scales a bit pink!

"Is it hot in here, or it is just me?" The Blobbicus asked… Then it looked down at its body and screamed!

The heat Spyro created was so great it caused the gelatin that comprised the Blobbicus to slowly melt away! While the Blobbicus screamed and flailed, its gelatin had loosened enough that Spyro was able to move forward and yank Chihiro out of its body! As the two of them stumbled backwards, Chihiro staggered back to her feet and spat gelatin out of her mouth. Once she caught her breath, her face tinted blue from the lack of air, she turned to Spyro and made a weak smile.

"Thanks, Golden Boy," Chihiro panted as she fell down and hugged Spyro, "I almost thought I was a goner!"

Spyro smiled as he hugged Chihiro back, his body now a pleasantly warm temperature that made hugging him akin to hugging a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. Chihiro's panting slowed and stopped entirely as she let go, stood up and spun around.

"SOMEONE, PLEASE!" The Blobbicus begged as it slowly melted into a slimy green puddle, "SAVE ME! I STILL HAVE SO MANY PAPERS TO GRADE!"

"Not so fast, buddy!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stomped over and glared down the Blobbicus, "Tell us where the exit out of this place is!"

"There's a door right there!" The Blobbicus exclaimed with pure terror as it looked over at the entryway

"DON'T PLAY COY WITH ME!" Chihiro stomped her foot a few times and turned her head downwards, "Tell us where the exit to this weird mission thingie is!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The Blobbicus made strained sobs as it melted further, "The only other exit I know is the emergency exit on the roof!"

"Wait, say that again?"

"There's an emergency exit on top of the school's roof, I swear!" The Blobbicus sniffled further as its glasses and wig slid off its body, "I swear on my honor as a teacher!"

"Looks like we know where we're going!" Chihiro smirked, then turned around to face Spyro before she prepared to run off.

"Hey, what about me?!" The Blobbicus demanded.

"Oh, right, almost forget!"

Chihiro spun back around and snapped her fingers. In a moment, a gigantic magical towel and jar manifested in the hallway! The towel wiped up the Blobbicus in a few clean sweeps, then squeezed it straight into the jar.

"THIS ISN'T WHAT I MEANT!" The Blobbicus screamed as the jar was magically corked shut.

"Hang tight, buddy!" Chihiro shouted as she waved at the Blobbicus, then turned tail and dashed towards the stairs.

"YOU GET BACK HERE! THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT YOUR TEACHER! I'LL SEND YOU TO DETENTION, I'LL MAKE YOU STAND IN THE HALLWAYS, I'LL TELL YOUR PARENTS, I'LL—"

The Blobbicus stopped and sighed as it realized that Chihiro had already left it in the dust.

"I don't get paid enough for this…"

§

Slam Bam's teeth gritted as he glazed over the way to the back docks, which, just to his luck, was infested with…

"Pirates!" The mayor exclaimed as he pointed to the path away!

Sure enough, everywhere you looked there were pirates stationed all across the paths! Some sat atop lofty palm trees and shook down coconuts to conk their subordinates on the head with, others loitered around empty houses and gambled with each other, a few stood guard in front of drawbridges that blocked the way off…

"Wait, a drawbridge!" The shipmaster exclaimed as he gazed over the bridge, "But how are we gonna get it down?"

Slam Bam hummed as he placed a clawed hand to his chin. As much as he wanted to fight them off, there were guards flanked at every angle, and with civilians to worry about he couldn't risk getting caught in a fight. Slam Bam opened his eyes, looked over the pirate guard once more, then noted the guard's wooden stand coated with playing cards.

"As much as I hate to say it," Slam Bam said as he stormed forwards, "It looks like we'll have to play their little game,"—Slam Bam cast an aside glance at the mayor and shipmaster—"Stay close to me, alright?"

The mayor and shipmaster both winced as they drew close behind Slam Bam. Occasionally the pirates glared over and growled at them, which caused them to yelp and cling closer to Slam Bam.

But Slam Bam didn't pay them any mind. Rather, he was more focused on the pirate that guarded the drawbridge as he found himself eye-to-eye with that same guard.

"Well, well, well," The pirate guard crooned as he eyed Slam Bam, "We don't see many yeti 'round these parts! What brings you here, mister?"—The pirate guard shot Slam Bam a glare as he opened his mouth—"If it's about the drawbridge, fer instance, then I'm afraid I'll have to send ye on yer way. Cap'n said this bridge stays up!"

"Oh, I'm not here for that," Slam Bam retorted as he drew a claw around the cards, "I'm here for a little game of…"—Slam Bam's glazed eyes turned a bit confused—"What do you call this?"

"PIRATE CARDS!?" The pirate practically leaned out of his seat, "I've been itchin' to play a round, lemme tell ye!"—The pirate coughed into his hand and collected himself as he sat back down—"What might ye conditions be, matey?"

"Tell you what." Slam Bam made a sly grin, "If I win this card game, you'll lower the bridge."

"Har har har! Yer quite cocky, matey." The pirate smirked as he pulled out and set a timer, "But let me tell ye, ye'll be singin' a different tune when ye face me anchor deck!"

As the timer was placed on the desk and ticked away, Slam Bam took notice of the pirate cards before him. They didn't seem any different from your ordinary set of playing cards… That is, until he lifted one up! Or at least he tried to lift one up, but it had the weight of an elephant! No, make that two elephants stacked on top of each other! Slam Bam only groaned as he dropped the card and watched it flop back down onto the desk with a THUD.

"I almost forgot to mention," The pirate guard remarked as he leaned back, "That's the trick to me anchor deck. These cards are ridiculously heavy compared to normal ones, and they're only getting heavier!"

Slam Bam growled as the pirate guard cackled, then wrapped two of his hands around the card and flipped it over with a mighty shout! As it flipped over, the card bore the image of a treasure chest filled with all sorts of riches about as rich as the look of shock on the pirate guard's face.

"That's the booty card!" The pirate guard coughed into his paw and regained his resolve, "But can ye find the other one, I wonder?"

Slam Bam only smirked as he stretched his arms to the sky and focused on a card adjacent to the one he flipped. That had to have the match, right? Slam Bam flipped it over with all his might, but he was proven wrong. Painted on the newly-flipped card's surface was an image of a treasure map instead!

"Map!" The pirate proclaimed as the cards flipped themselves back over.

Slam Bam only grunted and made an aside smile.

"It's just one miss, not enough to set me back," Slam Bam remarked as he went to flip over the booty card once more, "I can win!"

But as Slam Bam tried to lift the card, something felt wrong. This card felt way too heavy! He strained and groaned and pulled with all his might… And yet, the card's weight got the best of him as he finally let go and stumbled back.

"I did say they were only gettin' heavier, matey." The pirate captain twirled a lock of fur, "Every time ye lose, me cards gain weight!"

Slam Bam made a low growl as he gritted his teeth, then with a mighty cry he latched all four hands around the card and flipped it over.

"Booty!" The pirate proclaimed without any mind paid to the weird look Slam Bam shot him.

Slam Bam only shrugged as he flipped over a card under it, which was revealed to be a ship with billowing sails.

"Schooner!" The pirate watched as the cards flipped over.

However, Slam Bam wasn't one to give up. With his yellow eyes trained on the deck and little mind paid to the ticking clock beside him, he still continued to play with all his might. Even though he kept getting every pair wrong.

"Booty!"

"Island!"

"Skull!"

"Map!"

"Schooner!"

One wrong pair turned to two… Then five… Then maybe ten at this point, Slam Bam wasn't keeping count. That obnoxious pirate's voice rang in his head like a drum as he barely suppressed the urge to sock the pirate in the face.

"Schooner!" The pirate proclaimed as he watched Slam Bam flip over a card with all his might, then take heavy breaths as he flipped the next one over, "Map!"

Slam Bam's breath turned heavy as sweat dripped down his breath. Still worn, he gripped another card with sweaty palms and tried to lift it up… But it was no use. It was far too heavy.

But, he still couldn't give up! He still had to get across the island and save Terrafin and Zap! As he pulled harder, Slam Bam felt something grab onto him and cast an aside glance backwards. Behind him, the mayor and shipmaster had both grabbed onto his back and started pulling with all their might as well! However, even with all three of them pulling as hard as they could, they still couldn't lift the card at all! It remained stuck to the desk, like it had been glued down with some kind of sticky substance.

"Ye've only got fifteen seconds left, matey!" The pirate crooned as he watched Slam Bam's futile attempts at lifting the cards, "Better get on it!"

Slam Bam growled, bore his teeth into a fanged snarl and knitted his brows into an equally irritated glare.

"FORGET THIS!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he gripped all four hands onto the desk, "I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS STUPID GAME!"

With a roar so loud it could be heard all across the island, Slam Bam flipped the table and sent it barreling straight ahead! The pirate who was once stationed there jumped aside and dove into the ocean as the table slammed into the drawbridge… And knocked the drawbridge right over!

"Well, that's that, then." Slam Bam brushed off his hands and smirked, "Let's move on—"

"YAR, MATEY!" Exclaimed all the other pirate guards at once as they jumped in front of Slam Bam's path.

"… Crap." Slam Bam frowned and cracked his knuckles, "I forgot about these guys."

Slam Bam looked at the mayor and shipmaster as they watched the pirate guards with wary eyes, then threw two muscular arms in front of them.

"Get to cover, alright?" Slam Bam looked over the pirates and furrowed his brow, "I'll take care of these—"

WHOOSH!

Before Slam Bam could finish his sentence, a flurry of playing cards swooped down like birds from above and circled all around the pirate guards, then locked them together in a tight chain! Slam Bam gasped and jumped back, then turned around and watched as a slim, shadowy figure leaped off of a palm tree and disappeared into the distance.

"… Just what was that?" Slam Bam asked before he shook his head and shrugged, "Eh, you know what they say. Don't look a gift reindeer in the mouth and all."

The pirates now taken care of, Slam Bam pushed them aside and proceeded past the drawbridge, the mayor and shipmaster still close behind him as they walked onto the next chapter of the island. Everything was so oddly peaceful there with not a pirate in sight. Just a bunch of strange-looking wooden barrels that appeared to be… Shaking?

"Wait," Slam Bam remarked as he drew back just a bit, "Since when did barrels shake on their own?"

"I don't like the look of this…" The mayor remarked as he shuddered.

The shaking grew more and more violent as they all took a few more steps back, then with a gigantic crash the barrels all exploded and sent split wood flying everywhere!

"CHOMPIES!" The shipmaster exclaimed as he hid behind Slam Bam.

Sure enough, within those barrels were none other than chompies! Well, they looked a bit different from the average chompy. They were more of a cyan in color rather that the chompy's trademark chartreuse, and they seemed to be a bit bigger than normal, but they were chompies nonetheless… Right? Well, whatever they were, they were going down!

With a grunt Slam Bam shot out several blasts of cold wind, then watched as the wind solidified into giant ice blocks that completely trapped the chompies! Slam Bam basked in their wonder for a few moments, then stopped and turned back to the chompies. He could've sworn he heard something that sounded like… Ice cracking? Slam Bam drew closer to the frozen chompies and examined the ice block he had trapped them in… Then reeled back as it shattered in an instant!

"The heck?!" Slam Bam exclaimed, "That ice block was a hard as a rock! How could those chompies—ARGH!"

Slam Bam stopped short as one of the chompies leaped forward and bit onto his arm! As he swung around and tried to pry it off, he got a good look at the chompy… And his face fell with realization.

"Wait a second, these aren't chompies!" Slam Bam finally pried the "chompy" off his arm and tossed it into the ocean, "They're crunchers!"

"Crunchers?" The mayor and shipmaster replied in unison.

"They're like chompies, but way more aggressive!" Slam Bam grabbed several crunchers by their eyestalks and tossed them into the ocean, "And they're, AUGH!"—Slam Bam looked down as several crunchers latched onto his arm and tried to yank them off—"They're way more aggressive, too! Stay back, you don't want them to bite you!"

The mayor and shipmaster didn't reply. They only screamed as the crunchers circled around them with sharp, bared fangs! The two of them clung to each other as the crunchers got ready to pounce… Only for several other crunchers to slam into the crowd from the skies and send them all flying into the ocean! The mayor and shipmaster watched the crunchers drop into the cold ocean waters with a series of plops to accompany, then frowned as they looked back at Slam Bam.

"Are you sure you're alright, buddy?" The shipmaster asked as he walked up to Slam Bam, "You seem kinda scratched up."

Slam Bam frowned and examined himself. Those crunchers had definitely left their mark—he had bleeding scratches and purple bite marks all over his arms! The pain did sting a lot now that Slam Bam had noticed it, for that matter…

"Don't worry, this is nothing," Slam Bam remarked as he wiped himself off, "I couldn't be a Skylander if a couple scratches made me give up,"—Slam Bam then looked over to the ocean—"Besides, Fin needs me—I can't stop now!"

As he looked over the oceans, Slam Bam made a deep frown. It almost looked like there were pirate ships on the horizon! Wait, pirate ships?!

"We need to get going!" Slam Bam ran forward, "They're getting away!"

Slam Bam's heart pounded with adrenaline as he stampeded forward, his head shaken with all kinds of intense feelings. He had to get there fast, he couldn't let them get away! Not when they had Terrafin and Zap in their clutches!

But, as he drew closer and closer to the bridge, it started slowly going up and up and up as pirates gathered in front of it.

"They're trying to shut it down!" Slam Bam exclaimed as he fell on all fours and charged like an angry ice gorilla towards the drawbridge… But despite how fast he ran, it was far too late.

The drawbridge had already hit its top.

As he reached another desk set up with cards, Slam Bam found himself in such a fury, all he could see was red!

"Ye must be—" The pirate stationed behind the desk said, only to stop as Slam Bam socked him in the face.

"I'll give you ten seconds to put that bridge down," Slam Bam heaved, now overcome by a sense of urgent rage, "Or else, I'll—"

"I wouldn't be makin' any more violent threats, if I were ye." The pirate that Slam Bam had punched sat up and pointed behind Slam Bam.

Now slightly calmer, Slam Bam turned around… And found the mayor and shipmaster held tight in the clutches of two burly, massive-looking pirate guards!

"Heh, sorry!" The mayor remarked as he made an awkward wave to Slam Bam.

"We kinda got ourselves in a pinch!" The shipmaster noted as he made a hapless shrug.

Slam Bam only drew back, his anger replaced with confusion and concern.

"Now, matey," The punched pirate said as he sat back down at his desk, "Ye can entertain me with a little game of Pirate Cards… Or yer buddies get to see Davey Jones' locker! What'll it be?"

Slam Bam felt his heart pound in his ears as he examined the situation before him. If he played that game, then surely he wouldn't have enough time to catch up with the pirates… But he couldn't possibly risk the mayor and shipmaster's lives! What was he supposed to do?! Slam Bam furrowed his blows as he clasped his sweaty palms, then he heard a whoosh as something flew towards him! He instinctively caught it in his hands and looked it over to see… A playing card?

Slam Bam frowned and flipped over the card, but there was no illustration, only a message.

_I'll take care of saving your friends. You just take care of the pirates._

Slam Bam looked up and found that same, shadowy figure from before as they sat atop a coconut tree! The figure gave him a thumbs up, then dashed into the distance and vanished.

His confidence regained, Slam Bam brushed a fist against his torn chest and turned back to the pirate behind the desk.

"Alright then," Slam Bam said as he sat down, "I'll take you up on your game!"

"Very well then." The pirate set a timer and placed it to the side, "Be warned, though! My mermaid deck's one of the best of the lot! Savvy?"

"We'll see about that." Slam Bam cracked his knuckles and examined the cards, the timer only white noise in his mind…

§

SHING!

With a mighty slash, Chihiro and Spyro dashed through a flock of giant stacks filled with imposing-looking tests that held complicated questions on their pages, then watched with satisfied looks as they exploded into shreds!

"Y'know, fighting my worst fears is a lot more fun than I thought it'd be!" Chihiro remarked as she floated onto the floor and placed her hands on her hips.

"This is only just the beginning, though," Spyro reminded as he sat himself next to her and blew a few shreds of paper away from his face, "We've still gotta find a way to get out of here—if we can even find a way…"—Spyro cast an aside glance at the halls before him—"Just how big _is _this school, anyways?"

"Beats me." Chihiro shrugged as she turned around and walked forwards, "Guess we're just gonna have to climb, climb and climb some mo—"—Chihiro stopped short and whipped her head around—"Hey, is that a map?"

"Wait!" Spyro flew over to Chihiro's side, "Did you say you found a—"

Spyro stopped short as a broccoli stalk beaned him right in the head! With a yowl of pain he whipped around and snarled, then reeled back as a crowd of sentient broccoli monsters charged down the hallways.

"I know you're not supposed to play with your food…" Spyro remarked as his eyes flashed green, "But I think I can make an exception! Time to get ALL FIRED UP!"

As Spyro started a food fight in the background, Chihiro fixed her attention on the school map.

It was fairly worn, its illustrations and lettering with both faded and the paper had plenty of stains on it, but it was somewhat legible! One could easily make out the five floors of the school and their doors.

"Let's see…" Chihiro mumbled as Spyro prepared some grilled broccoli, "If that's the fourth floor and that's the fifth…"—Chihiro placed her finger on the map and drew it around her pathway—"Then that should be the door to the rooftop!"

"Hey, get back here!" Spyro shouted as he chased the broccoli monsters up and down the hallway, his breath alight with fire, "I've not done toasting you yet!"

"Spyro, I did it!" Chihiro spun around and waved towards Spyro, "I found the rooftop door! It's at the end of the fifth floor!"

Spyro breathed out a superflame, sat down as it singed the broccoli monsters in one big bonfire, then smiled as he flew back to Chihiro.

"What are we waiting here for, then?" Spyro remarked as he flew to Chihiro's side, "Let's get going!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Chihiro smiled as she raced ahead… Then paused and drew back. She then yanked a stalk off of a toasted broccoli monster and munched down.

"Hmmm… Needs more ranch dip."

And with that said, Chihiro and Spyro raced down the halls, a feeling of carefree joy in their hearts for the first time since they arrived in this strange, strange mission. Though the halls were long and seemed to never end, a door soon popped into view.

"There, I see it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed ahead, "The dooOOOOAAAAAA!"

As Chihiro ran forward, several giant oni dressed in colorful, fancy clothing stepped in front of the door! Chihiro tried to stop herself before she could run into them, she really did, but it was no use! She had run far too fast to stop and ran smack-dab into them instead! As she cried out in pain and rolled backwards, Chihiro sat up and shook her head before she glared up at the oni.

"Where'd you guys come from?!" Chihiro demanded.

"The better question is," One oni with curly blonde hair said, its voice deep and rumbling, "Whaddya think you're doing here?"

"Yeah!" Chimed in a second oni as they glared down Chihiro, "Just running around the place, acting like you actually belong here… What a laugh!"

The oni all laughed, while Chihiro winced and crawled back just a bit.

"That's more like it!" The first oni proclaimed as it slammed a giant metal club into the floor, "Get lost, you freak!"

"Yeah!" The other oni chimed in.

"But, I can't!" Chihiro retorted as she stood up, "Heck, what am I doing?! I need to find that exit and get out of here!"

"You really think you can do that, though?" The first oni chided with another slam of its club, "You'd have to get past us first, but you don't stand a chance! You're too weak!"

"Yeah!" The chorus of Oni chimed in.

"And you're a crybaby!"

"YEAH!"

"And you're super annoying!"

"YEAH!"

As the oni continue to mock and laugh, Chihiro winced and felt her legs turn to jelly. She had to get past them to reach the other floors, but she couldn't bring herself to even move a muscle! All she could do was stand there and take in their insults, like she was trapped in their words...

"Look, she's shaking!"

"I bet she's gonna run away and cry now, just you watch!"

"Yeah, in fact, I think she'll—"

Before the oni could speak further, a giant fireball zoomed down the hall and smacked them right in their faces! As they screamed and patted themselves down, a familiar voice resonated around the hall.

"What gives you the right to say that?!" Spyro shouted as he flew in and glared them down.

"Spyro!" Chihiro called as she looked back up at Spyro with a shining beam.

Spyro smiled and beamed back down at Chihiro, then glared down the oni. They looked even more furious than before, their hair strewn and their skin and clothes covered in burns and singe marks.

"You don't know a thing about Chihiro!" Spyro continued to retort as he flew further, "She may have her flaws, but she has a lot of good points too!"

Chihiro felt her heart stop just a bit as Spyro's words touched her ears and her heart.

"She never fails to make us laugh, she's always there for us… And most importantly…" Spyro looked back down at Chihiro and made a kind smile, "Even when things are tough, she never gives up! Even when things looked hopeless, she never stopped trying! As far as I'm concerned, she's just as much a hero as any of us!"

Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she heard Spyro talk, then smiled as she stood back up and wiped away her tears.

"That's right…" Chihiro whispered as the last of her tears disappeared and a confident smile bestowed itself onto her face, "I can't just let you guys beat me down! I barely even _know _you guys, anyways!"

Chihiro's hands balled into fists as they flared with magic while her eyes narrowed.

"NOW YOU'RE IN FOR IT!"

With a clap of her hands, Chihiro summoned a small crate that fit snugly in the palm of her hands and was filled to its brim with soybeans.

"BEGONE, FOUL DEMONS!"

Chihiro grabbed a handful of soybeans from the crate and tossed them straight at the oni. The moment the soybeans made contact with their skin, the oni screamed in horror for the beams literally burned right into their body! As Chihiro got ready to fling more, the oni screamed shrill screams and fled in utter horror.

"And they say _I'm _the scaredy cat," Chihiro remarked as she popped a few soybeans in her mouth and hummed with pleasure, "Tastes like holy power, yum!"

With a snap of her fingers, the magic soybean crate disappeared from Chihiro's grasp!

"Now, time to get climbing!"

§

Terrafin heaved a heavy groan as he pulled his dazed head up.

"Where am I?…" Terrafin asked as he looked around and frowned.

Though the lighting was really bad, Terrafin could tell that he had been stowed away in the hull of a ship. It was all wood everywhere you looked, saved for the few large piles of treasure that were scattered about.

"How did I even get here, anyways?"

"I dunno, dude," Zap asked as he finally woke up and shook his head, "I could ask you the same thing!"

As they locked eyes, a wave of realization washed over the two of them… Then everything exploded.

"See what you did, Zap!?" Terrafin exclaimed as he nudged against the ropes that held him tight, "If you'd have just listened to me, we wouldn't be all tied up like this!"

"I was doing fine, dude!" Zap scowled back, "You were the one who kept messing me up!"

"You missed half of them, Zap!" Terrafin's mouth twisted into a fanged scowl as his eyebrows knit themselves into a frown, "I was just tryin' to help you out!"

"Some help you were!" Zap growled a moment before he cleared his throat and collected himself, "You got us tied up and trapped, dude!"

"Excuse me?! You were the one who—"

"Knock it off, you two!" Whispered a harsh, yet somewhat familiar voice from the shadows, "You'll get those pirates' attention!"

Terrafin and Zap stopped short as they heard the voice and gazed around, but no use. It was too dark to properly see a thing!

"WHO'S THERE?!" Terrafin and Zap demanded at once.

"It's no matter to you," said the voice as a slender figure became barely visible against the shadows of the ship's hull, "All you need to know is that I'm the one who's gonna get you out of here."

The figure stood over Terrafin and Zap, then with a flick of their wrist a sharp-looking playing card manifested between their fingers! Their gaze was fixed on the coarse ropes that bound Terrafin and Zap as they diligently cut away at the bondage.

"What were you saying, Zap?" Terrafin asked as he shot Zap another glare, "About me getting us stuck?"

"It's true!" Zap gargled back with such intensity that static-charged spit shot out of his mouth.

"Yeah, right!" Terrafin leaned his head closer to Zap and scowled, "You're the one who got us stuck here trying to show off!"

"Did not!" Zap, in response, shoved his head closer to Terrafin's, "If you didn't try to show me up, I would've won, dude!"

"Did too!" Terrafin shoved himself closer.

"Did not!" Zap only drew in even closer to Terrafin!

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"DID—"

"Will you two keep it down?!" The shadowy figure demanded as they shot a glare at Terrafin and Zap, who had gotten so close that their faces were smashed against one another, "With the way you're bickering, it's almost like you WANT to get the entire crew down here!"

Terrafin and Zap made a surprised glance at the shadowy figure, then both of them scoffed and looked away.

"Just saying, if you hadn't tried to act cool, we wouldn't be stuck here!" Terrafin remarked as he shot another aside glance at Zap.

"And if you hadn't tried to stage me up," Zap retorted as he shot another lancing glare back at Terrafin, "I would've actually won—so YOU got us into this mess, dude, not me!"

"Say that again, dude?!" Terrafin growled and gritted his fangs.

"Well, if YOU hadn't tried to stage me up, then WE WOULDN'T BE—"

"What's all this racket down 'ere?!" Demanded a crusty-sounded voice from above.

In moments the hull's door flipped open! Light poured into the room as a crowd formed at the door's base, a crowd of pirates armed and ready to fight!

The figure gasped as they stepped back into the shadows, though it was useless now that their appearance had been revealed.

They did, indeed seem to have a slender build… Though it was covered by the black and white checkerboard cloak they wore, which was fastened with a buckler around the neck shaped like a playing card. Their hood draped over their face and shielded it from view, though if you looked closely under you could probably spot the tiniest hint of what seemed like orange fur…

"INTRUDERS?! TRYIN' TO RESCUE ME CAPTIVES?!" Exclaimed the crusty voice, which belonged to a grizzled seadog who donned tattered getup, "NOT ON ME WATCH! C'MON BOYS, WE'VE GOT A STOWAWAY TO TAKE CARE OF!"

With a sharp gasp, the shadowy figure dropped their strangely-sharp playing card and drew back. Their frantic movements made it clear that they were searching for a means of escape, but it was far too late! The pirates had already piled into the basement and were itching for a fight! So, the figure drew into a defensive stance as they summoned more playing cards with a flick of their wrists! They shot out the playing cards fast as lightning and watched as those cards stunned the pirates with a bean to the head… But it wasn't enough to dissuade those pirates, unfortunately.

With an enraged shout, one pirate jumped forward and slashed their sword at the figure, who only narrowly dodged the surprise attack. Before they could retaliate, however, another pirate jumped the figure with a kick to the back! As they yowled in pain and got tossed onto the floor, they groaned and staggered up, but they could barely even lift their own weight.

"Now, tell me," Said one pirate as they drew closer to the figure, "Who are ye?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The figure hissed as they got back up and tried to throw a punch!

However, they were far too slow! The pirate only dodged immediately and elbowed the figure in the gut, which caused them to cry out in pain as they fell back onto the floor! As they did, the hood of their cape flipped over and revealed…

"JESS?!" Zap and Terrafin exclaimed at once.

Sure enough, there rested on the floor, hood flipped over and face fully exposed by the overhead light was none other than Jess LeGrand herself! Her mouth was drawn into a scowl as she pulled herself back up and glared down the pirates that had her surrounded, though the twitching on her face could tell anyone she was pretty worn.

"What's going on here?!" Terrafin demanded as he struggled against the ropes that held him tight.

"No time to talk!" Jess exclaimed as she staggered back up and summoned a playing card, "I've got pirates to fight!"

With a swift cry of battle, Jess stumbled forward and jabbed her elbow into a pirate's throat, then watched as they coughed and reeled back. However, that was only the start! Jess grimaced and leaned back as the other pirates yelled and dashed after her, cutlasses and blunderbusses in hand.

Jess could only stand there and wince. It was as if she was completely frozen, unable to do anything but stand and watch as… Zap shot off a round of lightning bolts and shook the pirates to the bone!

While the pirates screamed in literal shock, Jess summoned another hand of cards with a flick of her wrists, then shot them off and stood back as the pirates fell in droves. Now certain that they were unconscious, she only nodded as she returned to Zap and Terrafin's side.

"Jess?" Terrafin asked as he watched Jess grab the extra-sharp card and whittle down the ropes that kept him tied once more, "What's goin' on?"

"Yeah, dudette!" Zap chimed in as he turned himself to look at Jess, "What's with that whole getup?"

"Well… It was part of my plan." Jess sighed as she dutifully cut away, "I was lucky enough to escape the island when those pirates took over, but I couldn't take them all down myself. As you can see, I'm not very good in combat of the physical nature."

Jess looked up at Terrafin for a moment of seriousness. "And well… Let's just say that if they figured out who I was, I'd be their top target."

Jess looked down at the ropes once more.

"I was planning to call the Skylanders in to take care of the little guys, then I'd go for the head of the beast, the captain himself." Jess's mouth dipped into a scowl as she bore her teeth, "But, it's clear things didn't entirely go as planned."

Terrafin and Zap both made an awkward laugh as Jess shot them a glare, then sighed as she returned to the ropes.

"But it's no matter now." Jess worked a little more furiously on the ropes, "I'll just get you guys free and—AUGH!"

Zap and Terrafin both gasped as a loud CONK was heard followed by Jess falling unconscious on the floor. As they watched Jess's comatose body, a dastardly cackle resounded around the hull of the ship!

"So the lassie wants an audience with the Captain, eh?" The voice remarked as its owner stepped from the shadows, "I'm flattered to comply~"

"Who are you?!" Zap and Terrafin demanded in unison, only to get a very shiny, very sharp-looking cutlass shoved in their faces.

"Don't try any funny business, Skylandees," The person said as they grabbed Jess by the collar of her cloak, "Yer talkin' to Cap'n Dreadbeard, after all!"

The light cast from overhead shed some light of a different nature onto the voice's owner. He was a furry, canine-looking pirate dressed in a fancy, black satin captain's hat with a white skull on its front. His piercing brown eyes struck a level of danger to his looks, and his roughed-up, tan fur that seemed somewhat more intimidating when paired with his sharp, fanged sneer. He donned a blue jacket with golden buttons over a simple white shirt, a brown leather belt, striped red trousers and brown boots. He had all the looks of a pirate captain and then some—yep, this was definitely the guy that caused all this nonsense.

"I'll go hear out this lassie's request," Dreadbeard said as he lifted up Jess and dragged her cold body up the stairs, "And as for ye…"—Dreadbeard shot a glare at Zap and Terrafin—"Ye can just sit tight!"

"HEY! GET BACK HERE, DUDE!" Zap shouted as he thrust against the ropes that held him tight, though it was no use, "WE'RE NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A—"

The door to the hull only slammed down and locked back up.

"Fight."

The darkness and quiet that painted the room around them made a sense of regret and remorse fall over the atmosphere. Time slowed to a crawl, and the whole scenario seemed so quiet that it almost made it perfect for reflecting on one's every last mistake. Though they could barely be seen against the midnight, the glimpses one could catch of Terrafin and Zap showed that sorry frowns crossed their faces.

"… We really screwed up, didn't we dude?" Zap asked as he hung his head, a surprising amount of reflection in his voice.

"… Yeah," Terrafin admitted as he cast an aside glance.

Zap bit his lip, almost hesitant to say more before he finally exhaled.

"Guess it's my fault we got into all this bogus, isn't it?" Zap admitted at last, "So much for being just as good as you, huh?"

"What was that?" Terrafin craned his head and looked at Zap.

"Well…" Zap inhaled and exhaled, "You're like, a super-big champ in the sports world, right?"

"Twenty times!" Terrafin made a proud smile.

"I thought if I beat you at something, I'd show you I'm just as good as you!" Zap scoffed and looked aside, "You've got that whole twenty-time champion thing, and I've only won races against dolphins. If I won against you, I'd be one of the best!"

As Zap sighed against, Terrafin only smiled and chuckled.

"Don't get yourself too down, kid!" Terrafin looked over at Zap with a genuinely warm smile, "You're pretty good in your own right! I probably shouldn't have looked down on you so much."

Both Terrafin and Zap laughed to themselves, their regret replaced with resolve as they smiled and looked at each other.

"Now that that's taken care of…" Terrafin said.

"Let's get out of here and save Jess!" Zap finished as he looked down at the spot in the ropes that Jess had cut away.

With a soft growl he gripped onto the ropes with his teeth, then yanked them hard and watched as the ropes fell into a pile at his paws! Once he found himself free once more, Zap skidded over to Terrafin and yanked the ropes that bound him off!

"Man, that feels good!" Terrafin exclaimed as he stood up and flexed, "Now let's get outta here!"

The two of them raced up the door and pushed it… But it didn't budge in the slightest.

"Guess this could use a little force!"

Terrafin let out a shout as he punched the door with all his might, but still no dice. Not even a sliver cracked open.

"Lemme try!" Zap exclaimed as he charged up a lightning bolt and shot it at the door… But it only burst into sparks as it hit the wood.

As the sparks faded away, Zap and Terrafin smirked and looked at each other.

"It might be able to knock off one attack," Terrafin said as he cracked his knuckles, "But I bet it can't handle both of us!"

Zap grinned as he leaned back and got ready to charged, while Terrafin merely stretched out.

"One… Two…" Terrafin started as they both finished warming up.

"THREE!" They both shouted at once as they slammed against the door and burst straight out! The two of them landed on the deck of a pirate ship parked at an island covered in skeletons and foliage, and more importantly... Pirates!

"Alright, dudes, tell us!" Zap exclaimed as he charged a bolt of lightning.

"Where's Jess?!" Terrafin demanded as he cracked his knuckles.

"The cap'n's taken her for a game of Pirate Cards!" Proclaimed a squidlike pirate in a bandanna and rags as they drew out a cutlass, "And he specifically told us to keep you lot from interruptin' him!"

With smiles across their faces, Zap and Terrafin looked at each other and nodded before they glared down the pirate crew.

"Sorry, dudes," Zap said as he leaned back as if he was preparing for a tackle, "But we've got other ideas!"

And with that said, Terrafin and Zap launched themselves into the heat of the fray…

§

"Think we've reached the top yet, Spyro?" Chihiro asked as she trekked up a giant staircase of concrete stairs.

It had taken them some time, but she and Spyro had found the staircase that lead to the rooftop! They fought massive heights, gigantic slime teachers, floors filled with holes, the occasional annoying insect, Bob the janitor… But at last, they were finally here!… So why was Chihiro so nervous? Chihiro whimpered as she placed a hand on her heart. Her hand trembled as her heart beat at a fast and furious pace, so fast and furious it almost felt like it was going to jump straight out of her skin!

"I think I can see a door!" Spyro exclaimed as he flew ahead of Chihiro, orb of light in hand.

"What?!" Chihiro watched Spyro zoom ahead of her. With a frown she ran behind him and found that unfortunately, he was right.

There, right before them was the doors that undoubtedly lead to the rooftop. Light poured in from the space underneath, and one could vaguely hear something on the other side. Something awful, probably…

"Just have to open these doors, find that emergency exit and we should be out of here!" Spyro looked over at Chihiro and nodded, "You do the honors, Chi."

Chihiro winced and nodded as she reached for the doorknob… Then her hand instinctively drew back. Her ears rang with fear as she felt herself break into a cold sweat. She couldn't do this, she couldn't do this, she, she, she…

"Something wrong, Chihiro?" Spyro turned to Chihiro and frowned.

Chihiro winced, then gulped and made a weak nod.

"Well… Yeah." Chihiro hung her head and sighed, "I mean, we don't know what's behind this door. For all we know, it could be something ten times worse than what was in there!"—Chihiro looked back at Spyro with pain in her chestnut eyes—"What if I can't handle it?"

"You've gotten through everything so far," Spyro reassured with a flap of his wings, "I'm sure it'll be nothing!"

As Chihiro hesitated once more and looked away, Spyro placed a paw on her hand.

"And besides, even if it is… I'll be right beside you. We'll face it together!"

"Yeah, that's right," Chihiro reminded herself, her fear replaced with a gentle peace as she looked down the door once more, "We'll do it together!"

Chihiro breathed in and huffed, then balled her hands into fists.

"HI-YAH!"

With a jiggle and a kick, the final door slammed open! Chihiro groaned just a tiny bit as she onto the rooftop with the expectancy of fresh air as a greeting… But found nothing of the sort.

There, she found herself on a worn rooftop that overlooked a desolate town. All the houses and other buildings were worn and abandoned, with peeling paint and broken windows and exteriors so dusty it could make you sneeze a whole mile away. Gigantic piles of leaves covered yards of dead grass and dead trees barren of leaves or any other sort of life lined the roads… It seemed so sad and empty, just like this school was.

Chihiro shuddered as she overlooked the town before her.

"Dang, can't wait to get outta this place," she remarked as she veered her head right and smiled, "And there's our ticket out!"

Right in front of Chihiro loomed a giant, swirling vortex painted in shades of blue. It looked so unreal compared to everything else here, like it was almost painted on, but Chihiro supposed that a giant vortex would look unnatural compared to a relatively normal-looking abandoned town anyways.

"Home sweet home…" Chihiro made a running start and leaped into the vortex, "HERE I COME!"

However, it seemed the vortex had other ideas! As soon as she reached a few inches away from the vortex, a giant shield knocked her back! Chihiro screamed as she flew in mid-air, only to grunt as Spyro caught her by the back of her shirt and gently dropped her on the ground.

"Thanks for that." Chihiro sighed as she dusted herself off and looked over at the vortex, its shield now completely visible, "What is that thing?"

"A shield, obviously," Spyro replied as he frowned and walked a bit closer, "But why is it glowing so much?"

"Glowing?" Chihiro glazed over to the shield and found that Spyro was right!

The shield has started to glow such a bright, milky white glow that soon it completely hid the vortex with its light! The bright color almost made it look like a giant egg, to be honest. As the glow grew the brightest it could, its light started to pour out into the space below before it took the form of…

"A human?!" Spyro exclaimed as he flared his wings and dropped into an attacking stance.

Sure enough, a human child manifested from the bright light the shield poured out! As the child's form solidified, they blinked once, then twice as they looked over Spyro and Chihiro… Who had a much less calm reaction.

"WHAT?!" Spyro and Chihiro exclaimed as they pointed towards the child.

"Why does that thing look like you?!" Spyro shouted as he looked at Chihiro.

"I don't know!" Chihiro shouted back as she tugged on her hair, "Why DOES it look like me?!"

They were both accurate in their observation, for this ghostly child looked almost identical to Chihiro. Same frame, same face, same clothes… The only difference was that it seemed a bit younger than she was, being a few inches shorter with a slightly more rounded face, yet the look of sorrow and pain in its stare made it seem years older.

"Whatever it is, be ready." Spyro's breath crackled with warmth as he prepared a shot of flaming hot breath, "It could attack at any moment!"

Chihiro nodded as she formed a magic sphere and watched the ghostly her step closer and closer. The tension only grew as the ghost Chihiro stopped, looked up at Spyro and her real self, walked closer and closer to Chihiro, then…

"Why are you doing this?" The ghostly Chihiro asked, its voice sad with an almost ethereal echo to it.

"Huh?" Chihiro uttered as she let down her magic sphere, "Well, I mean, we do kinda need to get out of this place and get back to the real world—"

"That's not what I meant." The fake Chihiro's tone turned a bit scolding as it looked up at the real Chihiro, "Why are you so intent on playing the hero? What are you fooling around for?"

Chihiro was left completely speechless. Her mouth gaped open, while the hand she held her magic sphere in loosened without her even thinking and smacked onto the rooftop's floor in a small explosion of sparkles.

"… What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you're not good enough to be with them! You're not good enough to be their friend!"

The fake's scolding tone grew even harsher as it spoke.

"You're only setting yourself up to fail! You're no hero! You're weak, and stupid, and you get emotional too easily and just get everyone to hate you just by existing! You're always messing up and getting everyone into trouble…"

Chihiro paused as she listened to the fake berate her, but oddly enough it didn't make her upset in the slightest. Rather, a wave of understanding washed over her.

"So this is my worst fear…" Chihiro whispered as the fake's anger-filled ramble turned to white noise in the back of her mind, an understanding smile on her face, "I think I understand now."

Spyro glanced up at the real Chihiro with a vaguely confused look, then leaned back as he got ready to attack. But, he stopped as the real Chihiro held out an arm and looked back at him. Chihiro winked, then with a nod of understanding Spyro drew back.

After all, this was her fear to face, not his.

Chihiro breathed in, then looked back at her fake self.

"And you're good for nothing, and picky, and easily distracted, and, and, and… All you're gonna do is mess up and make everyone hate you!"

The fake's heart was so full of rage, it tainted its words with poison and caused tears to form into its eyes. With a sniffle, it slumped over and shuddered.

"So why are you doing all this?!"

Chihiro didn't say a word, she just drew closer to her fake self.

The fake, meanwhile, couldn't even speak anymore. It just collapsed into a heap and broke down sobbing, its sobs so loud they seemed to echo all around the neighborhood.

"There, there." Chihiro drew closer to her fake self and wrapped the fake in a soft hug, "Tell me…"—Chihiro met her fake at eye level and gently ran her fingers through the fake's ghostly hair—"Who told you all these things?"

"Well, well…" Fake sniffled and rubbed its nose, "Everybody at school says those things… The teachers, my classmates… But they're right! I—you always, always…"

As the fake started sobbing once more, Chihiro gently rubbed its back and squeezed it just a bit tighter.

"How do you know they're right, though?" Chihiro's voice took on a wise tone glazed with kindness, "Those people barely even know you! Why would you listen to the words of people who don't even care about you?"

"Huh?" The fake sniffled and looked up at the real Chihiro.

"Those things about yourself that you hate… Those fears you hold… They came from people who barely even know the real you!" Chihiro gently nuzzled her fake self's shoulder, "But, the real you is a really, really, great person! You've got your strengths too, you know!"

Chihiro gently pulled herself away from her fake self and cast a smile back at Spyro.

"You're kind, and care a lot about other people, and you always pick yourself up even when things are tough… Your real friends, the people who really matter… They know that better than anyone!"

Spyro smiled back at her, and in response Chihiro's beam drew wider as she looked back at her fake self. But, that smile quickly turned into a concerned frown as she saw that her fake self was still curled up and crying.

"But, that's all just an act!" The fake retorted as it buried its face into its knees, "They'll find out the truth eventually, then they'll all leave you, and, and—"

"I know why you're acting this way, you know." Chihiro stood up and dusted herself off.

"… You do?" The fake pulled its head out of its knees and looked up at its real self.

Chihiro only nodded in response.

"You're so used to being treated so badly that you've taken it all to heart. You believe that every awful thing they did and said was somehow completely deserved."

Chihiro's tone was stately and matter-of-fact and she looked down at her clone.

"And you're so used to that, you're scared now that you actually have friends who care about you. You're scared that you'll lose them now that you actually have them, or they'll turn on you like all the others did."

A small tear formed in Chihiro's eye and dropped onto the rooftop's floor.

"I'd know. I am you, after all."

The fake only stared at Chihiro with glassy, teary eyes.

"But…" Chihiro shook her head as she held a hand out to her fake self, "You can't live like that anymore! I know it seems scary and unpredictable, but sticking with your fears and doubts is only gonna hurt you even more!"

Chihiro stretched out her hand just a bit further.

"You'll be a lot better off if you let them go, trust me!"

Silence echoed throughout the area. All that could be heard was a gust of wind as it carried some dead leaves away.

"… Can I really do that though?" The fake asked as it looked aside, "Can I really change? Can I really, truly trust them? Can I really, truly trust _myself_?"

"Yep!" The real Chihiro made a sunny nod and beamed, "I'm living proof that you did!"

The fake made a sharp gasp as she looked up to Chihiro, still completely silent… Then it took Chihiro's hand and pulled itself up.

"Thank you."

The fake Chihiro smiled as it pushed forward and wrapped its real self in a warm, comforting hug before it faded away.

"You really have grown, haven't you?"

Those were the last words the fake Chihiro said as it finally disappeared, and the shield with it.

As the vortex became visible once more, Spyro flew over to Chihiro, then the two of them looked at each other and nodded before they leaped inside the vortex…

§

Jess made a soft, tired groan as she awoke to fuzzy vision. Where was she? Last she remembered, she had tried to rescue those two Skylanders from…

"Are ye comfy there, lass?" Chuckled a familiar, sickening voice as Jess's vision finally returned to her!

She found herself inside a giant, open room filled to its gills with piles of treasure. Gold coins, shiny jewels, beautifully-decorated jewelry, ancient artifacts that radiated with power… Whatever you could name, it was probably there! She herself was seated on a wooden chair right behind a small, wooden table with a number of cards set up on it. And in front of her… Was _Dreadbeard_, of all people, in the flesh and bone.

"What are you doing with me, Dreadbeard?!" Jess demanded as she stood up.

"No need to get so cranky, lass!" Dreadbeard said as he leaned back in his chair and rested his boots on the table, "Me crew told me ye wanted a word with me… And I've been itchin' to play some Pirate Cards!"—Dreadbeard's gaze turned smug as he looked down Jess—"So methinks we could play a little game…"

Jess bit her lip as she glared down Dreadbeard. There had to be some kind of catch… What was it?

"The conditions are simple, ye see. Match all the cards in me skull deck in two minutes…" Dreadbeard made a fanged grin as a smug glint flashed in his eye, "Oh, and if ye don't beat the deck, it'll release a curse that'll kill everyone on this here island save fer me and me crew!"

Jess made a sharp gasp as she drew back.

"But no pressure."

Jess growled as she balled her hands into fists.

"That's despicable!" Jess slammed her fist on the table, "Who do you think you are?!"

"A pirate captain, lass." Dreadbeard leaned back further in his chair, "It's kind of me thing."

Jess drew back again as she glanced over the table of cards, which seemed so much more intimidating than before. As she drummed her fingers against the table, Jess frowned and looked back up at Dreadbeard.

"And what if I don't play your little game?" Jess asked at last.

"Then I'll release the cards' curse anyways."

Jess hummed for a bit, then sighed and sat down at the deck.

"I hate playing with cheaters," Jess remarked as she positioned her hands, "But it seems I have no choice here, do I?"

"Indeed ye don't, lassie," Dreadbeard replied ever-so-calmly as he set the timer, "Now let the games begin!"

§

"Geez, how many of these guys are there?!" Terrafin exclaimed as he punched a pirate dog right in the kisser and sent him flying overboard.

"I dunno, dude!" Zap shouted in-between rounds of lightning bolts, "But I don't know how much longer I can keep holding them off!"

Just then, a squid buccaneer leaped over and got ready to chop Zap in half with his ax!

Right before he could land a hit, however, Terrafin barreled forward and body-slam the buccaneer sideways! As Terrafin landed on the ground, he looked down at the pirates and frowned. Though he kept a strong composure, the heavy breaths he heaved and the droop of his shoulders could tell anyone that even he was starting to reach his limit.

And Zap was no better as he struggled to stand up, clearly exhausted from all the sheer, raw fighting he had done.

"Where's backup when you need it?" Zap remarked as the pirates closed closer and closer in on him and Terrafin…

Then a giant block of ice slammed straight onto the deck and shattered! Sharp icicles stabbed into the pirates while they yowled and pain and desperately tried to dodge the shower of sharp, icy daggers.

But while the pirates panicked, Zap and Terrafin merely smiled as they looked backwards and saw another ship come into deck!

"Ahoy, mateys!" Slam Bam shouted as he grabbed onto his ship's railing and vaulted onto the pirates' schooner, "I heard you needed some backup?"

The moment Slam Bam's eyes locked onto Terrafin, however, this cool composure of his immediately melted into warmth and joy!

"Fin!" Slam Bam called as he raced forward and hugged Terrafin tight, "You're okay!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Terrafin asked as he winked and returned Slam Bam's hug.

The two of them held each other so tightly and so warmly, it almost felt like everybody else in the room just disappeared! It was just the two of them, so happy to see each other again… Then a cork flew over their heads while the shouts of war resounded around!

"You know what?" Slam Bam said as he let go of Terrafin, "Let's save the touching reunion for later."

"Agreed." Terrafin turned around and cracked his knuckles, "Right now, IT'S FEEDING TIME!"

Terrafin then cried out all sorts of shouts and battle cries as he went back to punching away pirates, while Slam Bam cracked his knuckles and shot out a gigantic block of ice!

But while they fought, the mayor hopped off of his boat and joined Slam Bam at his side.

"So, you and that Fin person…" The mayor remarked as he gazed at Slam Bam, "Are you two good friends or something like that?"

"Oh, actually," Slam Bam said as he turned to face the mayor, though his fists kept punching, "He's my boyfriend!"

"Oh, my apologies!" The mayor dusted off his coat and straightened the lapel, "Regardless, you two seem very happy together!"

"Oh, it's great!" Slam Bam rested against the ice block and made gestures with two hands while the other two continued to punch away, "Him, Ruptor and I are all—"

"Ruptor?" The mayor tilted his hand.

"Eruptor, I mean! He's our other boyfriend. We're all dating each other, and even if he's a grump sometimes we all love him for it." Slam Bam turned around to look at Terrafin, who was still punching away, "Right, Fin?"

"Yeah, Ruptor's great!" Terrafin shouted back as he gave Slam Bam a thumbs up before he continued the fight.

The mayor smiled as he watched Slam Bam grin, then jumped back as the shipmaster jumped off his boat and landed right beside the mayor!

"Mayor, is everything alright here?" The shipmaster asked with a concerned gaze.

"Oh, quite!" The mayor replied with a formal nod, "The Skylanders have everything under—"

Before the mayor could finish, a scream was heard from the rioting crowds and two cork guns slid over to the mayor and shipmaster's feet. With a curious gaze the two of them looked down at the guns and smiled at each other.

"We can't leave all the work to them, now can we, Mayor?" The shipmaster merely grabbed one of the cork guns.

"I agree!" The mayor grabbed the second, then locked and loaded.

Their eyes trained on the crowd, the two of them tightened their cork guns… Then all hell broke loose as they fired! Corks flew everywhere—and truly _everywhere_—as the mayor and shipmaster shot off their guns! Their aim was so shaky, it was hard to tell just who or what they were aiming at! It was utter chaos!

"Whoops, sorry!" The mayor shouted as Terrafin and Slam Bam hit the deck while a flock of corks shot over their heads, "I'm not the most talented marksman, I'm afraid!"

As the chaos pot stewed, however, Zap's eyes widened with inspiration! With a smile, he coated himself in several layers of slime, then shot a lightning bolt at his feet and watched as it coursed through the slime until he was little more than a giant bolt of lightning.

"COWABUNGAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Zap exclaimed as he dove into the crowd and crashed into the pirates!

While the pirates screamed from shock—literally—Terrafin smirked and punched a pirate off the deck! As he watched them drop into the ocean, however, he didn't seem happy… Rather, he was more concerned.

"Sure hope Jess is okay," Terrafin whispered as he cracked his knuckles and jumped back into the fray…

§

"That's yer ninth match!" Dreadbeard exclaimed as he tugged on his fur.

But, Jess took no mind to his fright! Her eyes were completely trained on the cards. With every second that passed she made a match.. And another match… And another… Until…

"HOW ARE YE DOING IT!?" Dreadbeard jumped out of his seat, "Yer beating me skull deck like it was nothing!"

"I forgot to mention one thing," Jess smirked as she left her chair, "Back on my island…"—Jess shot a glare at Dreadbeard and smiled as he trembled—"I'm the reigning champion of card games!"

Then with her smirk ever-present on her face, Jess flipped over one last pair of cards—ones that depicted a Mabu woman dressed in pirate garb—and watched contently as they flew back into Dreadbeard's pocket.

"I won, Dreadbeard…" Jess trailed around the table, but her eyes were fixed on him like he was her prey, "What are you gonna do now?"

Dreadbeard growled, then dove into his pocket and whipped out a shiny-looking blunderbuss!

"YE MAY HAVE WON ME CARD GAME," Dreadbeard exclaimed as he smacked his free fist against the table and flipped over an extra pair of cards, "BUT CAN YE WIN AGAINST ME—"

Dreadbeard stopped short as he looked down at the table…

"Pirate curse?" Dreadbeard winced and dropped the blunderbuss on the floor as he stumbled back, "Oh fishsticks."

And with that, Dreadbeard collapsed onto his back, now completely unconscious! As Jess looked over his comatose body, she smirked and dove her hand into his pocket. Once she felt something firm and slim, she grabbed it out and shoved it into her own pocket before she grabbed Dreadbeard by his jacket and dragged him outside.

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!" Jess proclaimed as she exited the hideout and stepped into the light.

There, everyone who was brawling outside—Skylander, civilian and pirate alike—stopped and watched Jess with wide eyes.

"I, Jess LeGrand." Jess heaved up Dreadbeard's unconscious body, "HAVE BEATEN CAPTAIN DREADBEARD AT PIRATE CARDS!"

The pirates all gasped, wide-eyed and terrified as they chattered among themselves.

"No way! It can't be!"

"The cap'n's never lost a game of pirate cards!"

"She's gotta be kidding!"

Jess cleared her throat, then smirked as all the pirates fell silent.

"As your new captain," Jess declared in her most orderly, attention-grabbing voice, "I order you to return all the treasure you've stolen and turn yourselves in to the authorities!"

"Who says we have to listen to ye?!" Demanded a furry pirate from the crowd, "Ye may have beaten the cap'n, but ye—"

Before that pirate could finish, Jess shot out a pair of cards and watched as they hit the naysayer straight in the head! Chattering was heard throughout the crowd as the naysaying pirate groaned and collapsed with a thunk.

"And while I'm at it." Jess unveiled an entire deck of pirate curse cards, "If you don't comply, then I'll simply be forced to put you all in timeout."

The pirates whimpered and groaned, then finally bowed and hung their heads.

"Yes, cap'n," The pirates whined as they trudged into the hideout in a single-file line.

"And I mean all of it!"

Jess wagged a finger at the pirates, then paused as she rejoined the Skylanders.

"Thank you so much for all your help," Jess thanked, her tone softer as she shook Slam Bam's hand, "I couldn't have possibly done this without you!"

"Oh, it's no problem, it's all in a day's work for us!" Slam Bam replied as he withdrew his hand.

"Besides, you were the real mvp of today!" Terrafin chimed in as he gave Jess a thumbs up, "You took down that Dreadbeard guy like he was a lightweight!"

"Oh, it was nothing!" Jess said as she blushed and scratched the back of her head.

"Wait, that voice…" The mayor replied as he turned around, then fixed his eyes on Jess and beamed, "Jess!"

"Dad?!" Jess exclaimed as the mayor ran into her arms and sobbed tears of joy.

"WHAT?!" Slam Bam, Terrafin and Zap exclaimed at once, only to shrug as they watched Jess and the mayor hug.

"I was so worried!" The mayor sobbed as he hugged Jess tight, "When you disappeared after those pirates took over, I, I…"

"Dad, calm down, I'm fine!" Jess let go of the mayor and brushed herself off before she looked up at the Skylanders, "Anyways, I'd better take you guys back home. My crew and I have a lot of treasure to return!"

Jess looked over at the pirates who were loading their ships with treasure, and in return the pirates only grimaced and nodded as everybody else laughed.

§

Chihiro heaved heavy breaths as she held her heart, which beat as fast as a jackrabbit. Had they done it? Did they get out of there okay? _Were _they even out of there?

A glance up confirmed that Chihiro was right! She was back in the room that house the mission simulator, though it was now covered in wear and soot marks, and right in front of her stood a wide-eyed Hugo and Master Eon! While the two of them looked back at her and Spyro with complete shock, Chihiro felt her heart beat at a natural pace once more while she staggered up.

"YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Hugo sobbed as he ran forward and clutched both Chihiro and Spyro in a tight hug, his glasses stained with tears, "We all thought, we all thought…"—Hugo buried his face into Chihiro's shoulder and wailed—"WE ALL THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Now, now, Hugo," Chihiro said as she patted Hugo's back and gently pulled him off of her and Spyro.

Hugo only stared wide-eyed once more, then smiled as he sniffed and cleaned the tear stains off his glasses.

"Thank goodness you got out of there!" Hugo seemed more collected as he reapplied his glasses, "It seems that the mission simulator needs a few more tweaks. I'll have to ask Drobot to look over it again when he comes back from patrols."

"Are you alright?" Master Eon asked as he flew over to the rest of the group, "What happened in there?"

"We're right as rain, Master Eon!" Chihiro replied as she pumped a fist, then turned to Spyro and nudged his shoulder, "Right, Golden Boy?"

"You bet we are!" Spyro exclaimed as he did a backflip in the air and landed back on his feet.

The two of them then giggled and bumped fists before they looked at Hugo and Master Eon once more.

"As for what happened, well…" Chihiro turned to Spyro.

"It's kind of a long story." Spyro nodded to affirm her statement, then beamed and winked, "You see…"

§

"And that's how we got out of there!" Chihiro said as she spun around to face Spyro and gently rubbed his head, "It wasn't easy, but we did it! We got out of there, and I—"

Chihiro stopped short as the most terrified look she could muster grew onto her face.

"MY EXAM!" Chihiro stumbled back a bit as she frantically scratched the back of her head, "I completely forgot I was taking it! I got so caught up, I—"

"No need to fret, young Chihiro," Master Eon interrupted as he gently nuzzled her back into the real world, "After everything you described, I'd say you passed with flying colors!"

"I DID?!" Chihiro turned back to Master Eon.

"Is that not what I just said?"

Chihiro made an excited gasp, then turned back to Spyro, who only smiled and gave her a thumbs up! With a hoot of glee she wrapped Spyro in her arms and hugged him tight, then tossed him in the air and watched as he flew back down to her side and gave her a high-five.

"Anyways, we should probably head down now," Spyro said as he flew towards the open door, "There's still a lot to take care of."

"No kidding," Chihiro remarked as she skipped over to Spyro's side and waved goodbye, "See ya!"

Chihiro closed the door behind them, then watched as Spyro snapped his claws and produced a shining ball of light. An odd, quiet peace was between them as they trailed down the curved stone stairs, with neither party willing to speak and disturb the quiet. Finally, Chihiro gulped and looked at Spyro.

"So, you're checking out those Chocolate Seas things after this, right?" Chihiro asked, then smiled as Spyro nodded.

"We're a bit short-staffed," Spyro admitted as he rubbed a paw over his orb of light, "But I'm sure we could do it!"

"Short-staffed, huh?" Chihiro skipped a few steps in front of Spyro and turned around, "How 'bout I help you guys, then?"

Spyro seemed a bit surprised by Chihiro's words as he paused and released his orb, but she only nodded and made a happy chirp.

"I did say I wanted to help you out, y'know!" Chihiro smiled and giggled as Spyro made a soft chuckle of his own.

With a nod, the two of them raced down to the mouth of the stairwell and jumped off the last few stairs in unison. The moment they hit the floor, they dashed towards the door and swung it open with pure, unhampered energy! As rich afternoon sunlight poured into the room and the fresh, cool autumn air enveloped them, they both paused and took it all in. After being stuck in that awful simulator for so long, being in the real world again just felt so, so good and welcoming…

Chihiro made another soft giggle, then skipped ahead of Spyro and spun around to face him. Her eyes held that same energetic twinkle they always did, but this time she radiated with some kind of new wisdom, a kind of magical aura you couldn't really put a finger down on.

"Come on, Golden Boy!" Chihiro shouted as she stared him down, "We've got work to do!"

Spyro made a wide smile, then flew up to Chihiro's side. As he stared into her warm, bright brown eyes, Spyro felt something lift from his heart—not just the relief from having extra help, but something else completely different!

Now, it felt like... He was finally starting to grasp just what it was about Chihiro that captivated him so.

"Agreed, Chi!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Next chapter of CHS incoming! Let me tell you, with how busy I was with my birthday weekend last week (I'm twenty now!) I almost forgot about this chapter - good thing I didn't!**

**Watch Seeker: Glad to hear that last chapter made your day a little less boring, I know a good read**

**Greenswitch: Glad to hear you enjoyed those scenes! The one between the captain and Jess was a personal favorite of mine too, mostly because I really enjoyed working with Jess! (And the issue you mentioned has been taken care of!)**

**(Also, small note but I am very glad that people responded so well to Terrafin, Slam Bam and Eruptor's relationship reveal!)**

* * *

Though the outside world bustled with energy and life, this was hardly a concern for Chihiro as she trekked up one of the many spiraling stone staircases within the portal building, a simple but heavy-looking bag slung across her shoulder.

"Y'know, for something that's called the portal building," Chihiro panted as she sat down on a thick stair and caught her breath, "They really do have a lot of stuff that isn't portals. I should ask Hugo about that sometime."

Chihiro took a few breaths more, then slid her bag off her shoulders and flipped its flap open. As she examined its contents, she rubbed her hands against its burlap surface and smiled.

"Better make sure I have everything before I get there." Chihiro chuckled and gazed at the few sunbeams that filtered in through dusty windows before she looked back at her bag once more, "The instruction manuals, tools, snacks if things run late…"

Chihiro flipped the flap back over and heaved the bag onto her shoulders once more.

"Yep, that should be everything!" Chihiro stretched to the skies and bent her knees, "Better not wait any longer!"—Chihiro smiled and jumped onto the next step—"Hup!"

A newfound energy birthed itself in Chihiro as she jumped from stair to stair, her balance steady and careful so as to not fall all the way back down those stairs. After all, one slip up and it would be a long, painful trip back down…

Chihiro shuddered, then as she finally reached the top of the stairs she took a few steps towards a wooden door cracked just a smidgen open.

"And here we are!" Chihiro smiled and pushed the door open, "My workshop!"

The workshop itself was quite barebones save for the many stray papers and blueprints scattered across the floor, its dully-colored stone walls and floors only decorated by a clean workbench, a simple wooden chair cushioned with black pillows and… Something hidden under a white tarp tinted cream by the sunlight that poured in from the overhead window.

Chihiro slid her bag off of her shoulders as she skipped towards the table. As a twinge of excitement made shudders run down her body, Chihiro haphazardly flipped the bag open and dumped its contents onto the table.

"Now!" Chihiro spun around, then jumped on the chair and clapped her hands, "Time to get to work!"

As the last of her handclaps echoed through her tiny workspace, the books and tools she had dumped all over the table glowed with her trademark cyan light… Then sprung to their metaphorical feet!

"You know the drill by now, guys," Chihiro chuckled as she gestured towards the tools, who all nodded in turn to a worn drill, "And I'm sure you know what we're gonna do today! We've gotta make sure this thing…"

Chihiro jumped from her chair and walked over to the tarp-covered device.

"Is ready for presentation!" Chihiro grabbed the tarp then yanked it straight off!

As the tarp warbled in the wind, Chihiro beamed and gazed over the device rested under the tarp, a strange machine beyond any sort of description.

"So yeah!" Chihiro walked back to her chair and leaped right in, "Book, guide them along!"

The book bowed to Chihiro, then turned towards the tools and pointed its pages towards the strange machine. As the tools stood straight, the book leaped off the table and waddled towards the machine, the tools soldiers to a commander as they trailed behind the book.

"Hmmm…" Chihiro hummed as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes fixated on the strange machine while her tools did their thing, "Hmm…"

As she hummed and rubbed her chin, the book stood firm with its cover crossed behind its back. Its stance was diligent as it watched several mechanical tools, all of which were also animated with magic, carefully tweak the machine's inner workings.

"Okay, just a little more to the right…"

As Chihiro said this, the book stuck out a corner of its page towards the tools, who made some clanking sounds that vaguely sounded like words and went back to twisting a bolt tighter.

"Screw that screw in a few turns left…"

A screwdriver jumped from the cold, stone floors of the room and screwed a screw in tighter.

"Now just pair those two cables together…"

A pair of thickly-padded gloves leaped from the floor and did just that.

"And that should be all!"

Chihiro made a giddy smile as she leaped out of her seat, then spun around and giggled. As her eyes trailed over the machine, she paused in her celebration then walked over and rubbed her hand against its hodgepodge metallic surface with a kind of fondness.

"Man, I hope this thing helps everyone out some," Chihiro remarked as she wiped her hands off, "After all, I've been working on it for like half a week straight!"

Chihiro's gaze didn't fix on the machine long, however, for her eyes soon followed the warm beams of sunlight that poured in from the window above and brought a level of comforting warmth to the otherwise quite chilly stone room. From outside, one could hear merrymaking and cheerful chatter delivered from the outside world in a muffled symphony.

"Alright guys, take five!" Chihiro said as she watched the once lively tools become stiff and inanimate once more, "I think we deserve a break after all that work!"

And with that, Chihiro opened the room's sole door and hopped down the stairs without a thought even taken to close it. As she left, she paid no mind to the fact that her machine's panel was still wide open and accessible to any possible tampering and tainting…

However, the fly that flew into the room just did! It made a curious buzz as it flew over to the machine, then buzzed some more as it flew closer and closer to the panel's insides…

§

"Ah, this is the life," Chihiro spoke to the world as she plopped down onto the grass, "Just sitting down and relaxing on the grass. Man, I'm glad I picked now to take my break."

Truthfully, now was the best time to relax! Most everybody had preoccupied themselves with missions or indoor tasks, which left them precious little time to go outdoors. In fact, it was like Chihiro had almost all the space in the island! Her only companion was Stealth Elf, who peacefully meditated under the safety of a sturdy tree.

Chihiro smiled as she breathed in the crisp autumn air and closed her eyes… Only to open them once more as she heard muttering from above and saw Camo pacing about.

"Camo, what are you doing?" Chihiro asked, still half-asleep.

Camo, however, completely ignored Chihiro and went back to pacing and muttering. Strange, Camo was never really the contemplative type—what had him so worked up? Was there another beetle infestation in Master Eon's garden or something?

"Camo?" Chihiro leaned up and waved a hand in front of his face, "Camo! Hellooooo? Skylands to Camo?"

Camo dug his heels into the ground just in time to avoid slamming face-first into Chihiro's hand.

"Oh, Chihiro!" Camo chirped as he brushed his leafy tail against her back, his voice hinted with a slight trill of his Rs, "What's up?"

"That's what I should be asking you!" Chihiro tilted her head as she tapped Camo's muzzle, "What're you muttering about?"

"Well…" Camo looked down and scratched his head, "Last night, I had this really weird dream!"

Camo paced back and forth across the heart of Ancient's Peak, little mind paid to the crunchy, colorful fall leaves that littered the grass.

"Mm-hmm," Stealth Elf mumbled as she crossed her legs and closed her eyes.

"See, I don't remember anything about it. I don't think anything happened in it, really." Camo paused his pacing and sat down, a paw on his chin, "But, I do remember that I heard this strange voice!"

"Mm-hmm." Stealth Elf's ear twitched, but other than that she was still like a tall, sturdy tree.

"This voice… It was crying out for me to help it! And that's not the weirdest part!" Camo rubbed his head as he went back to pacing, "I'm sure I've heard this voice before! But I can't remember where for the life of me!"

"Eh," Chihiro uttered as she shrugged her shoulders, her gaze peaceful as she laid in the grassy fields, "It's probably not that big of a deal. I have weird dreams all the time!"

"I'm not so sure, Chihiro." Camo walked over to Chihiro and looked down at her, "I don't know why, but I feel like there's something super important about this dream! Like, I can feel it in my gut!"

Camo then frowned and shook his head. With another round of ramblings he continued pacing all around the area and crunching old autumn leaves underfoot.

Stealth Elf scrunched her eyebrows and twitched her ears, but took another deep breath and composed herself.

"Whatever." Chihiro shrugged her shoulders again and rolled on her side, "I think I'm gonna take a quick nap… Yeah, that sounds nice."

And with that, Chihiro smiled a quiet, peaceful smile as she closed her eyes. She seemed perfectly still and serene as she curled up into a snug, cozy ball… Until she snored as loudly as a human could snore!

Stealth Elf gritted her teeth and shuddered. Her brows furrowed even more than before, she took a deep breath in, exhaled, went back to her prior treelike stillness… Then fell face-first as Hugo barged in, completely absorbed in the papers he held as he muttered at the top of his lungs!

"Oh, sorry about that, Stealth Elf," Hugo apologized as he looked down at a very irate-looking Stealth Elf.

"It's fine," Stealth Elf hissed as she sat back up and returned to her prior position, "Just watch where you're going."

Chihiro stirred a bit in her sleep, then grunted and sat back up.

"Somethin' wrong, Huges?" Chihiro mumbled as she rubbed her tired eyes, their warm gaze trained on Hugo, "You seem more anxious than usual."

"Actually, now that you mention it," Hugo said as he walked over to Chihiro, "I've run into quite the predicament!"

"And that is?…" Chihiro brushed a couple leaves out of her inky hair.

"Well, I've found the Eternal Life Source…"

"And that's a problem?" Chihiro jumped to her feet as a new energy coursed in her veins, "Why aren't we going after it already?!"

"That's where the problem comes in." Hugo steepled his fingers and pressed them against his forehead.

"You see, it's located in the Great Forest, which we all thought was just a legend! So as you can imagine…"

"… You've got no idea how to get there?" Chihiro shoved her hands in her vest's pockets and frowned.

"Exactly." Hugo sat down on the grass and sighed, "I've looked through every textbook, every book of legends, every single resource I can think of!"—Hugo flopped down onto his back—"And it's gotten me no closer than before."

Chihiro just sat down next to Hugo and patted his head.

"I wouldn't worry so much about that kinda stuff, Huges!" Chihiro said as she ruffled his furry head, "Whenever stuff like this happens, something always conveniently pops up and helps us along!"

Chihiro laid down on the grass and made a content smile. "You just gotta lay back and let the universe do its work~"

"I hope you're right, Chihiro…" Hugo sat up and brushed the fur on his head back to normal. He seemed as if he wanted to say something more, but before he could speak his mind a low rumble resounded throughout the island!

"… Did you just hear that?" Hugo asked with a slight trill.

"If by 'that,' you mean that weird rumbling noise, then yeah!" Chihiro chirped as she shook her head, "Thought it was just me, to be honest…"

"It sounds like it's coming from that hole!" Camo prodded as he pushed into their conversation, his tomato red eyes fixed on an earthy hole not that far across from them.

Hugo, Chihiro and Camo all stepped towards the hole, and as they did the rumbling grew louder and intenser… Much to the disdain of Stealth Elf, who gritted her teeth underneath her mask.

"Will I ever get to meditate in peace?" Stealth Elf grumbled as she joined them over at the hole.

The four of them leaned forward as the rumbling grew the worst it had been, now so intense that the earth around the hole shuddered and crumbled in fear… Then something popped out from the hole!

Everybody screamed as they stumbled back, then caught their collective breaths as they examined the strange creature that had popped out from the hole.

It looked had the basic appearance of what seemed to be a leafy totem pole with limbs. Its skin was wooden and rough, with a grassy plain on top of its head and a pale yellow face covered in squarelike orange markings. It eyes were small, white and round, and a red tongue lolled out from its enormous mouth. Moss covered its shoulders and legs like clothing, and bare, pale yellow claws poked out from its hands and toes. Just what was it? None of them had ever seen a creature quite like it before…

"Ah, the water is fresh, the air is cool, and the earth is just right!" Proclaimed the strange creature with an incredibly goofy voice, "It's the perfect time to pop out!"

Everybody stood silent and blinked for a few moments, then...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT TALKS, IT TALKS!" Hugo screamed as he stumbled behind Chihiro and trembled.

"Geez, Hugo, don't be rude," Chihiro scolded as she nudged Hugo out from behind her back.

"Ah, my apologies." Hugo collected himself and tugged on his jacket, a trembling smile on his face, "Er, excuse me. But, who exactly are you?"

"Who am I?" The totem pole creature stretched its wooden arms towards the heavens.

"I AM ARBO! SON OF BARBO! CHILD OF LARBO! SPAWN OF CARBO! JUNIOR OF DARBO! SUCCESSOR OF HARBO!"

As Arbo continued on his spiel, everybody around stared him down with blank, confused stares… Save for Hugo, whose eyes sparkled with a light only intensified by his shiny glasses.

"Wait a second…" Hugo yanked a book out of his hood, "I recognize those names!"

Hugo poured through the book's well-loved parchment, then stopped on one section and gasped!

"I knew it! Larbo, Barbo, Darbo…" Hugo looked towards the others, "Those names are all documented here!"

"So you know what I am?" Arbo asked with a tilt of his head.

"Of course I do!" Hugo laid the book out for all to see, "You're one of the Tree of Life's emissary ents, aren't you?"

"I am?" Arbo scratched his chin, then made a wide smile, "I suppose I am!"

"Wait a second…" Stealth Elf said as she stepped forward, hands on hips, "You know all these names, but you don't even know what you are? What's going on here?"

"I'm not sure myself!" Arbo replied as he scratched his grassy top, "I've only just popped out of the ground, yet I have all these memories of things that aren't mine. For example, I can do something like this!"

Arbo gestured to a patch of weeds behind their group, and in moments it glowed with a powerful green aura! As its glow shone bright, the weeds twisted together and grew into a magnificent green tree!

Everybody oohed and aahed saved for a still-unimpressed Stealth Elf, who crossed her arms.

"So, if you're one of these emissary ents…" Stealth Elf crooked an eyebrow, "You wouldn't happen to know what those are, would you?"

"I…" Arbo rubbed his chin, eyes closed in contemplation before he opened them once more, "Don't know!"

So blown away by his answer, the strength in everybody's legs gave out at once as they faulted onto the leafy grass.

"Well, thankfully," Hugo said as he sat up and brushed himself off, "I can answer that question!"

Hugo retrieved his book from the ground and cleaned it off.

"Emissary ents are special ents born from the Tree of Life's powerful magic. They're created specifically for delivering messages from it to the people below its mighty resting place, the Treetop Terrace." Hugo closed his book and stowed it away back into his hood.

"That IS what I came here for!" Arbo exclaimed, his white eyes wide with realization.

"So what's your message?"

All eyes turned to Arbo with high levels of anticipation, but Arbo only cleared his throat and rubbed his fist against his chest.

"The Tree of Life has come to request help! The pointy ears have captured it and want to steal away its children, the Life Seeds!" Arbo explained, his voice matter-of-fact though its goofy tone made it seem less so, "And this is against nature's wish, for the Life Seeds are the only way to gain access to the Eternal Life Source's resting place!"

"WHAT!?" Hugo exclaimed.

"What did I tell you, Hugo?" Chihiro asked as she rested her arms behind her head.

"Pointy-ears?" Stealth Elf repeated as she stepped closer to Arbo, "Do you mean the drow?"

"Now that you mention it, that name does sound familiar…" Arbo tilted his head and sent flower petals cascading down onto the grass.

"That can only mean one thing…" Stealth Elf turned to an equally-concerned Camo.

"KAOS!" They both shouted in unison.

"Arbo, right?" Camo asked as he barged forwards, "Can you take me to the Tree of Life?"

"Me too," Stealth Elf added as she walked next to Camo, "My mentor told me the Tree of Life is the roots from where all Life Elementals came from. If something happened to it, it could hurt us all!"—Stealth Elf shot the area behind her a glare, her voice lowered to a whisper—"Besides, it doesn't seem like I'll get my meditating done anytime soon."

Arbo spoke not a word. He only nodded, then turned around and magicked up a gigantic beanstalk! This beanstalk had to be the length of the entire island stacked maybe twice over, its leaves as big as cars, and it stretched well past the stratosphere.

"After you," Arbo said as he gestured towards the lowest leaf on the stalk.

Camo and Stealth Elf warily stepped onto the leaf, then when they found it was quite stable they sat down and watched Arbo join them. With a clap of Arbo's hands, the beanstalk twisted up like a spinning staircase and they all slowly disappeared into the heavens…

Chihiro frowned as she watched the trio disappear, then with a sparkle in her eyes she turned over towards Hugo.

"Hugo, I just remembered!" Chihiro exclaimed as she clasped her fists, an excited grin on her face, "That thing's finally done! Y'know, for the exam!"

"It is?" Hugo made a wide grin as he cleaned his glasses, "I'll go get Master Eon!"

And with that, they both raced back to the island's collection of buildings…

§

"Here we are!" Arbo proclaimed as the creaking of the vine came to a halt, "The Treetop Terraces in all their glory!

Camo and Stealth Elf hopped off the leaf and onto a sturdy wooden platform, then gasped in awe as they took in the sights.

All around them were sturdy, life-filled trees with richly-colored leaves, large trunks covered in thick, solid bark and home to all sorts of fauna. Bugs, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, forestal dragonbunnies and a couple others they couldn't even name danced through the wild woods! Gigantic flowers bloomed from the sides of the various wooden platforms they stood on, their petals firm and colored in a rainbow menagerie of hues. Even the sounds of the forest were filled with life, from the chirping of birds to the singing of crickets to even the soft rustle of the trees' leaves as they were caressed by a passing breeze…

"It's so beautiful!" Stealth Elf whispered as she clasped her hands together, her voice laced with wonder.

And yet, Camo seemed almost discontent as he looked over the area, like it didn't quite live up to the expectations he had set… Or maybe there was something else on his mind? He looked troubled as his eyes drank in the surroundings, his snout curled into a frown.

"What's bugging you, Camo?" Stealth Elf cast Camo an aside gaze, "You're acting strange."

Upon hearing Stealth Elf's words, Camo shook his head.

"Oh, it's nothing," Camo said as he cast his eyes towards a gigantic hornet in some weird headdress that buzzed across the platform, "Hey!"—Camo looked up towards the hornet and made a friendly gaze—"You wouldn't happen to know where the Tree of Life is, would you?"

The hornet buzzed a bit more furiously as it watched Camo… Then its buzzing turned full of rage as it shot a stinger towards him! Luckily, Camo had dodged in the nick of time, but the surprised look on his face as he watched it vanish into the woods spoke all.

"Something tells me we need to do some pest control!" Stealth Elf proclaimed as she withdrew her daggers and somersaulted forwards, her blank white eyes fixed on the hornet!

The hornet buzzed loud as it readied its stinger to fire… But before it could, Camo leaped into the battle and tackled Stealth Elf out of the way!

The two of them tumbled backwards, groaned then shook their heads.

"Camo, what was that for?!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she glared down Camo, "I just about had that thing!"

"We don't need to attack it!" Camo shouted back, "The bugs here aren't aggressive!"

"Docile, my foot! That thing looks like it's ready to kill!" Stealth Elf took one look at the hornet that had just attacked them, then shot a glare back at Camo, "And how do you know that, anyways?!"

Camo only stepped back, a level of shock in his eyes. "I… I'm not sure."

"You're not sure?!" Stealth Elf cocked an eyebrow, out of sheer confusion, "Camo, that's—"—Stealth Elf's ear twitched as she looked ahead and ducked—"Bug!"

As Stealth Elf ducked, the hornet zoomed right over her back then stopped in midair and turned around. Its furious buzzing like ringing in everyone's ears, it readied its stinger and shot off a barrage of sharp, poison-laden missiles down at Stealth Elf and Camo!

The two of them cried out and jumped out of the way as these stingers tore through the area where they once sat and made a nice wall between the two. However, Stealth Elf wasn't one to be deterred! With a hup she jumped onto the top of one stinger, then sprung forward with her eyes trained on the hornet!

"Don't blink!"

The hornet readied its stinger to fire… And blinked as it released, only able to watch in surprise as the stinger slammed right into a straw scarecrow that bore a striking resemblance to Stealth Elf! It could only watch dumbfounded as the dummy fell into the depths of the forest…

"Told you not to blink!"

Stealth Elf smirked as she reappeared behind the hornet and kicked it in the back!

The hornet buzzed in pain as it shot forward and slid down onto the platform. It looked almost pitiful as it rested on its side, its wings crumpled slightly while its legs scrambled about in a hurry.

Camo made a frown as he stepped towards the creature, a sympathetic frown on his face.

"Now that's how you take care of things," Stealth Elf remarked as she popped back onto the platform with a confident aura in her stance… That soon turned to utter disbelief as she watched Camo stare down at the flailing hornet with sorrow.

"Come on, Camo, it's just a bug!" Stealth Elf walked up to Camo and crossed her arms, "I care about the environment too, but that thing did try to kill you!"—Stealth Elf shrugged as Camo shot her a glare—"Just saying!"

Camo shook his head, then gently tapped the ground below with his paw and wrapped the hornet in a gentle blanket of vines. As its struggling came to a close and its buzzes turned to soft snores, Camo stroked its worn head with an almost familiar level of fondness, as if it was someone he knew for years.

"Come on, Stealth!" Camo exclaimed as he looked back at Stealth Elf, a new level of worry in his eyes, "We need to find out why all the wildlife here's gone… Well, wild!"

Camo turned himself towards the northmost way of the platform, which held no traditional paths of gates. Rather, in its steed was a simple barrier made of tree bark with a crude wooden crank close by! With a simple few taps of his paws, vines manifested from the bark under him, then slowly cranked the crank!

In the few seconds it took Stealth Elf to teleport over to Camo's side, the barrier had gone down completely to reveal a series of wooden pathways covered in round, spiky cacti.

The two of them raced down the path as the cacti quickly receded, then stopped short as they found themselves before another bark barrier.

"The switch for this one should be…" Camo turned his gaze to the left, "There!"

His eyes trained on yet another branchlike crank stationed on a skinny, faraway tree stump, Camo summoned a ripe watermelon that just burst with flavor. As its rind grew more inflated, Camo parried it at the crank with his tail! Before it could even reach the crank, however, the watermelon exploded into a barrage of meaty fruit chunks!

Several of the fruit chunks slammed into the crank's handle and sent it spinning like a juiced-up soda bottle. The barrier shrank down in moments, which revealed a series of large toadstools attached to a gigantic tree stump positioned in a way that was almost akin to stairs!

Stealth Elf flipped herself onto the first, then the next, while Camo hastily jumped after her. With a grunt he pulled himself onto the third mushroom and panted, then looked up to see that Stealth Elf had already arrived at the top!

"Two can play at that game!" Camo proclaimed as he stomped his back paws.

A gigantic watermelon grew from where his back paws laid, then exploded and sent him flying over to the next mushroom! With another stomp he repeated the process again… And again… And once more… Until he finally vaulted over to where Stealth Elf stood!

"Took you long enough," Stealth Elf sneered, a hint of playfulness in her normally-serious voice, "You know, Camo…"—Stealth Elf stepped towards a wooden crank and took a grip on its handle—"The way you ran through this place, it's like you knew it by heart!"

"Oh, this is nothing!" Camo strutted over towards Stealth Elf and watched her lower the barrier, "Just wait till you see what's behind this one!"

The suspension hung tight as the barrier lowered and revealed that behind its wooden exterior… Was a series of gigantic, rubbery flowers!

"Time to have some real fun!" Camo exclaimed as he jumped up, spun in mid-air then slammed down onto one of the flowers, "WOO-HOO!"

Camo's cheers echoed throughout the forest as he bounced away from view, while Stealth Elf quickly followed. But as the two of them bounced further along the lengthy flight of bouncy flowers, Camo's lighthearted cheers faded into a quiet confusion.

"This is fun and all," Camo whispered as he flung himself towards the next flower, "But why do I know this place so well?…"

§

"BANBAN!" Chihiro exclaimed as she slammed the door to her makeshift laboratory wide open, "Welcome to where the magic happens!"

As Chihiro hopped away towards the machine, Master Eon and Hugo's eyes (Well, metaphorical eyes in Master Eon's case) glazed over the lab room with confusion and maybe a teensy ounce of concern.

"So, Chihiro," Hugo asked as he shook a stray torn page off of his foot, "Where is this machine, exactly?"

"You mean my pride and joy? The greatest accomplishment I've ever made in all eleven years of my life? The machine that'll surely let me pass my fifth portal master exam?"

Chihiro made a slightly concerning giggle, then stretched her arms towards a bulky machine to her left, "BANBAN! AGAIN!"

Chihiro pushed her arms a little further for emphasis.

"Introducing the Missionator!"

"Missionator?" Hugo frowned as he and Master Eon joined Chihiro in observing the machine.

It was… Certainly something, alright. The base consisted of three metal squares of varying length and attachments. The leftmost one was the smallest by far and had a metal slot akin to one that would belong on a printer smack-dab in the center. The rightmost one was a bit larger in comparison and had an open panel on its center, a crooked satellite on the top and a giant lever to the side.

The largest section by far, however, was the middle one!

It was about the size of the prior two sections stacked together, with a wide screen anf matching keyboard on its front paired with some kind of beacon on its top. The whole machine looked fairly worn with its old materials, various bandaging and hastily-covered flaws, and the rainbow hodgepodge of colors its metal came in… But it could probably work, right?

"Alright," Chihiro said as she placed her hands on her hips, "So, for my fifth exam you guys said I needed to make something that can help people using some kind of magic, right?"

"That is correct," Master Eon affirmed with a soft bob of his ghostly body.

"Well, using some animation magic, some tools and books I snagged off of Drobot and a little bit of elbow grease, I made this baby!"

Chihiro bounced up and down just slightly as she spoke, her fingers pointed towards all the various parts of the Missionator.

"You see, this satellite here gathers distress calls from all across Skylands, and then the hub of the machine—that's this big part here—processes it all…"

Master Eon and Hugo gave amused glances and chuckles as Chihiro rambled on and on with bubbling enthusiasm. Even though they laughed at her childlike joy, a ring of amazement flashed in their eyes as Chihiro described the machine's functions further.

"With all these different functions, organizing patrols'll be a snap!" Chihiro snapped her fingers and giggled, "Heh, just like that!"

"It's quite impressive, Chihiro!" Hugo replied as he adjusted his jacket, "But, that leads into our next question…"

"Does it actually work?" Master Eon finished as he flew above the Missionator and examined its exterior.

"See for yourself~" Chihiro said as she walked over to the machine's lever.

Chihiro rubbed her hands, jumped up and grabbed the lever tight! With a worn creak it slowly fell down from the sheer weight of Chihiro's entire body, while Chihiro herself stepped away and examined the machine.

A number of beeps and whirrs emitted from the machine itself as it began rattling with energy… Right as a bright flash of light enveloped the entire lab!

Chihiro screamed and flung her arms in front of her eyes, then let them fall back to her side as the light faded.

"Geez, that's definitely not supposed to happen," Chihiro groaned as she rubbed her eyes, "Did I leave a screw loose or something?"—Chihiro tilted her head and frowned—"And why the heck is everything gray?"

True to Chihiro's word, the entire room was now completely grayscale, from the colorful books and graphs to the stone on the walls right down to Master Eon and Hugo as they freaked out!

"Guys, calm down!" Chihiro exclaimed as she walked in front of Master Eon and Hugo.

However, they didn't even acknowledge her! Hugo just frantically paced back and forth as he ruffled his already quite frazzled fur while Master Eon flitted to and fro in a panic. Not that anybody knew what they were panicking about, since despite their mouths moving, Chihiro could barely make out what they were saying!

"Ch… Go… Wha…" Chihiro barely gathered from Hugo's distorted, warped speech.

"HELLLOOOOOOOO? Hugo!" Chihiro waved a hand in front of Hugo, "I'm right here, you know!"

No use, Hugo just kept running around like a headless chicken!

"EARTH TO HUGO!"

Chihiro bounced up and down, but when she saw that Hugo still didn't acknowledge her, she only groaned and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine, be that way!" Chihiro huffed and turned back to the Missionator, "I'll figure this out myself!"

Surprisingly, the Missionator itself was still full-color, despite the fact that everything aside from Chihiro herself was muted gray! How could that happen?

"Eh, no use worrying about it right now," Chihiro said as she walked over to the Missionator and pressed a few buttons on its massive keyboard, "I should see if it actually worked first."

Chihiro turned a few knobs, then looked up at the screen with a hopeful grin… Only for that hope to fade as the screen emitted nothing but static.

"DANGIT!" Chihiro kicked the side of the Missionator, "Work, you stupid thing!"

A twitchy frown on her face, Chihiro furrowed her eyebrows as she twisted around a few more knobs on the keyboard panel. She made a quick gaze up at the screen… Then sighed and went back to pressing buttons and twisting knobs as it displayed only static yet again.

"Wait a second…" Chihiro let go of the knobs she held and stepped away from the keyboard, "Maybe I should check the inside!"

Chihiro walked back over to the rightmost side of the machine and made a deep frown.

"Strange, when did I leave that panel open?…" Chihiro stepped forwards and ducked her head under the panel itself, her eyes trained on the inner machinery, "I guess I must've forgotten to close it before I left for my—"—Chihiro jumped back a bit—"FLY!"

Chihiro shook her head, then peered back inside the cogs. Sure enough, a fly had gotten stuck in the inner workings and tried desperately to fly off!

"Don't worry, lil' guy!" Chihiro leaned against the Missionator with one arm rested on the panel and the other flailed about, "I'll get'cha out of there!"

As Chihiro pushed herself forward and leaned further over the panel, her free arm gripped onto something above her and unseen in an attempt to stabilize herself… Only to lose her balance and fall down as the thing she held lurched down! Chihiro groaned and shook her head, her eyes gazed on the Missionator to find that its lever had been pulled down!

"Wait, crap, what did I—"

Before Chihiro could say another word more, the Missionator made a sickly whir and vanished in a bright, all-engulfing flash of white, sparkly light…

"Do?"

§

With a hup from both parties, Stealth Elf and Camo jumped onto the final platform and shook themselves off.

"That was one trip!" Stealth Elf remarked as she plucked a leaf out of her braid, "Good thing you were here, though. You sure know your way around this place!"

"It's nothing! All just apple slices for me!" Camo chirped as he untangled a vine that had wrapped around his legs.

"Have you been here before?"

Camo stared into the open forest space with a blank stare as he heard Stealth Elf's question, his mouth gaped into a slow drop.

"I'm… Not sure." Camo held his head down low, his once blank expression now dusted with wide eyes and a deeper frown, "I don't really remember this place, but…"

Camo's mouth dropped open, then he shuddered and held his hand with both his paws.

"Camo, what's going on?!" Stealth Elf stepped back with wide eyes.

"I, I—" Camo looked at Stealth Elf with a heavy, pained frown, his pupils tiny and his leafy scales drooped, "I think something's—"—Camo grunted, then fell to his paws and shuddered further—"Ugh, my head…"

"A headache?" Stealth Elf asked as she knelt down towards Camo, "My master taught me a natural remedy for those,"—Stealth Elf grabbed Camo's horns tight—"Just let me grab on to…"

Stealth Elf's ears twitched as the sound of rustling leaves cried out from further ahead. Her grip on Camo's horns loosened while she looked over to the sound's source… Then tightened back up as she pulled Camo down to the platform and watched a sharp blade just narrowly graze their backs!

"Well, well, look what we have here!" Crooned a voice from ahead as someone else stepped closer and claimed the blade as it returned, "The Skylanders! What _unwelcome _visitors!"

Stealth Elf gritted her teeth beneath the cloth of her mask as she let go of Camo.

There, right in front of her were none other then drow! They were thankfully small in numbers, just a teal-skinned witch in darker teal robes and a couple of footsoldiers adorned in rusted armor that clasped tight onto metal spears. Nothing they couldn't handle, but it was still annoying to have them appear.

Stealth Elf reached for her daggers as the drow soldiers readied their weapons, then she heard a groan beside her followed by a thunk. Her eyes trailed back to Camo… But Camo didn't gaze back, for he was completely unconscious and asleep on the platform!

"Camo!" Stealth Elf called as she cradled his leafy body and hastily shook it, "Wake up! Now's no time for a nap!"

Camo didn't awaken—in fact, he made not a single noise as Stealth Elf continued to shake him. So, Stealth Elf only laid him back down on the platform and stood up, daggers in hand and brows furrowed in a way that almost invited a fight!

With a shout Stealth Elf leaped forward and plunged her blades down on the witch, but they didn't even make contact! The witch had cast a shield in the nick of time! So, Stealth Elf grunted and backflipped off the shield, then teleported away!

The drow soldiers and witch all frantically looked around, but no matter where they looked, they didn't find Stealth Elf, who teleported right behind the witch! Stealth Elf raised her blades and got ready to slice… only for several spears to shove their way in front of her! The drow footsoldiers had clearly found her! So instead, Stealth Elf slashed her daggers at them and sent them reeling back, visible rips torn in the poorly-kept clothing underneath their armor, then jumped in for the victory. She teleported out of the fray, only a straw scarecrow left to stand in her former place.

The footsoldiers stared in shock at the straw dummy, oblivious to Stealth Elf as she reappeared above them!

Stealth Elf dropped down, daggers at the ready, but midway through her drop something hard and magical slammed into her back and tossed her aside! Stealth Elf cried in pain as she crashed into the platform and skidded across, all while a chorus of laughter mocked her. She reached for her pockets to grab her daggers… Or so it seemed. Rather, she immediately shot out clouds of poisonous spores!

The soldiers and witch all broke into horrendous coughing fits as they tried and failed to clear the smoke… And better yet, they were wide open for attacks!

Stealth Elf kicked the soldiers aside and fixed herself on the witch, and in turn the witch opened her eyes, then gasped and flipped her blades in front of her.

These blades formed a turquoise light in their hollow centers which soon turned into a blast of energy! Thankfully, however, the sickness must have impaired the witch's aim, because the energy blasts just zipped out of the clouds with not a hair on Stealth Elf's head touched!

Stealth Elf smirked underneath her mask, then grabbed her daggers and leaped! Her daggers swiped inches away from the witch's face before the witch cast up a shield. Seems that the spores didn't impair the witch's magic, unfortunately. Stealth Elf went to attack against as the shield was cast, only for something to slash against her arm!

Stealth Elf cried out in pain as she fell to her knees, then looked to her side to reveal a nice gash with blue blood slowly poured out its surface. She only grimaced as she covered up the wound with her hand, then as a number of shadows cast upon her, Stealth Elf looked up. The soldiers and witch had imposed themselves above her, and were more than ready to attack!

But before she could, she heard a number of shocked screams and looked aside!

When Stealth Elf looked up again, all four of the Drow she faced were trapped tight in large, thorny vines and could only writhe around in a futile attempt to escape! But how?…

Stealth Elf's ears flicked as the soft prod of footsteps found their way towards her. She looked up as a shadow darkened over her… Then smiled at the figure she saw!

"Camo! You're alright!" Stealth Elf exclaimed with relief before she tilted her head in sheer confusion, "Why are your eyes glowing?"

Sure enough, Camo's eyes glowed with a bright, greenish-white light that masked their appearance. It almost made the normally goofy and lighthearted Camo seem… Intimidating, for lack of a better word.

"YOU WHO DESECRATE THE TREE OF LIFE!" Camo proclaimed with the voice of a thousand, "FALL BEFORE ITS POWERS!"

As Camo spoke, the vines he had cast glowed with a bright green light and tightened even further!

The Drow panted heavily as they tried to squirm, but it was still no use. All they could do was stand them and have the life squeezed out of them, literally!

"CAMO!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she raced over to Camo and shook him, "Snap out of it! What's going on?"

While Stealth Elf continued to shake Camo, Camo's eyes returned to their normal appearance… Right as he fainted in Stealth Elf's arms! Stealth Elf gently laid Camo down, then looked back at the Drow.

The vines hadn't faded from appearance, but at least they weren't hugging the Drow soldiers to death. They all heaved heavy, relieved breaths, then jolted up as Stealth Elf walked towards them.

"Alright, spill it!" Stealth Elf demanded, her eyes narrowed and furious, "What are you guys doing here?!"

The Drow grimaced and remained silent, save for one who broke out into a cold sweat.

"It was our commander's idea, I swear!" The nervous drow confessed at last, "Lord Kaos sent us out to find those stupid Life Seeds for him, and our commander told us to take over the whole place and make all the wildlife work for us!"

"And how would you accomplish that?" Stealth Elf crossed her arms.

"We have these special enchanted headset thingies that put the wildlife here under out control-ol-ol!" The drow sobbed a few more times, then glared back at the witch with watery eyes, "Well, we did before _she _lost them."

"LOST THEM?!" The witch exclaimed as she glared towards the soldier, "I would've still had them if you hadn't bumped into me on the way here!"

"YOU were the one who bumped into ME!"

While the two of them bickered like petty children, Stealth Elf shook her head and knelt down towards Camo, who slowly groaned as he stood up.

"Ugh, what happened? Did I eat a rotten fruit or something?" Camo groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head, "Stealth, do you—"—Camo's eyes grew wide as dinner plates as he saw the giant gash on Stealth Elf's arms—"HOLY ANCIENT ELEMENTALS!"

Stealth Elf looked down at herself and found the wound she had gained from the earlier fight, which still oozed with blue blood.

"Oh, must have forgotten about that," Stealth Elf remarked as she untied her bandanna and tied its cloth around her wound.

"How'd you even get that?!" Camo continued to fix his eyes on Stealth Elf's bandaged wound, too horrified to look away.

"Don't you remember?" Stealth Elf tilted her head, "Those drow attacked us, then you trapped them in those vines and practically squeezed them to death?"

"… I've got no idea what you're talking about, Stealth." Camo hopped onto all fours and shook his head.

Stealth Elf stood up, then raised an eyebrow down at Camo.

"Whatever, we've got things taken care of here." Stealth Elf dusted her hands off and walked passed the still-trapped drow soldiers, who only gawked at her as she left them hanging, "Let's move on!"

Camo hopped after Stealth Elf, an eager grin on his face as he rejoined her.

However, Stealth Elf wasn't very quick to return that eagerness—Camo couldn't remember a thing about that battle? Even the time he had jumped in himself? Why was he acting so strange?… Either he was playing one of those "elaborate pranks of a lifetime" he loved talking about, or something was wrong with him. And not in the "He doesn't know when to quit and is generally obnoxious way," but like. Something really wrong.

Stealth Elf sprung up as she heard an explosion, then heard a number of groans.

"WATERMELON?" Demanded the witch from the back of the crowd, "THOSE STAINS TAKE WEEKS TO GET OUT! WHYYYYYYY?"

Camo made a content giggle as Stealth Elf rolled her eyes at him. Classic Camo—guess he really did feel like himself now. Even so, as they moved on Stealth Elf couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very wrong with him, her eyes trained on Camo as they walked further on…

§

"So that's what happened up till this point," Master Eon explained as he hovered circles around Drobot while the light of his body glowed and faded in tune with his words, "Since young Chihiro borrowed the books she used to make the machine from you, perhaps you can help us figure out how she disappeared?"

"Potentially," Drobot replied as he drew his claws against the chin of his helmet, "However, I require data of the machine's design first. And unless you still possess a physical copy of the machine itself, that data would be quite hard to obtain."

Hugo and Master Eon both traded glances and gulped.

"Well… We could describe it!" Hugo said as he scratched the back of his head then held up a hand with three fingers, "It had three different parts, and I think the middle one was the largest?"—Hugo turned to Master Eon—"Or was it the right one?"

"It was the middle one," Master Eon replied as he bobbed up and down, then turned to Drobot, "And it had a lever on the rightmost side…"

"And a few panels…"

"And they all came in such a colorful array of metals! Also, I believe it had a gigantic screen in the center…"

"Yes, yes! And there were many different screws, and a gigantic keyboard…"

While Master Eon and Hugo continued to describe the machine, Drobot frowned and made what sounded like a mechanical hum. He perked up as a whooshing sound echoed through the room, turned around, then turned his gaze back to Master Eon and Hugo.

"This machine would not happen to look anything like that, perhaps?" Drobot asked as he pointed a claw backwards.

Hugo and Master Eon poked their heads over Drobot's shoulder and made twin gasps. Sure enough, there behind them all was Chihiro's machine!

"That's it!" Hugo exclaimed as he clasped his paws, his expression gleeful for mere moments before it fell once more, "But where's Chihiro?"

Drobot paid no mind to Hugo—he only hovered towards the machine and examined its open panel.

"I believe I have found the conclusion to your problem," Drobot proclaimed as he yanked something out of the panel and set it free, "A fly had gotten trapped in the inner mechanisms of the machine, a bug in the hardware, if you will."

Drobot then closed the panel, pulled the lever and watched as the machine whirred to life! He ignored Master Eon and Hugo as they joined him, for his attention was seemingly completely fixed on the strange machine as it bustled and buzzed and beeped with an excited tone. Then, finally, he walked up to the middle compartment, toyed with the keyboard and watched as it rattled off a list of potential assignments on its brightly-colored screen!

"So that was the issue after all!" Master Eon proclaimed as he watched the screen in amazement.

But, what Master Eon didn't notice was that Chihiro stood behind him in the strange, grayscale world, her arms crossed in contentment.

"See?" Chihiro remarked with a smirk as she watched the Missionator work away, "I told you guys it would work!"

Chihiro beamed in the success of her creation for a few moments, then shuddered and hugged herself.

"Geez!" Chihiro's teeth chattered as she rubbed her arms in some desperate attempt to warm herself, "Did somebody open a window?"

**"**_**Something is wrong here…"**_

"Huh?" Chihiro's arms dropped to her sides as she tilted her head, "What was that voice?"

_**"Something in this world does not belong…"**_

"WHO WAS THAT?!" Chihiro jumped at least a foot in the air, her face white as a sheet ghost.

"_**WHERE IS THE ANOMALY?!"**_

Chihiro screamed as her pale face turned purple from sheer horror, then with a gulp she reluctantly turned around… And screamed as she fell to her feet!

There, right before her were several gigantic grim reapers! Their beady pink eyes poked out from the shadows cast under their ragged purple hoods, and donned around their necks were giant pendants with intricate space patterns painted onto their surfaces in such detail that it almost looked as if they had an actual galaxy inside. The beauty would be admired normally… But their intimidating aura made it hard to enjoy the sights—and the gigantic, extremely sharp scythes they carried probably didn't help, either!

"_**CLEANSE THE ANOMALY!" **_The reapers proclaimed as one as they swung their scythes!

Chihiro screamed as she just narrowly jumped out the way of one and watched it crash into the wall, then frantically ducked underneath the second. As the third one went to swing, Chihiro spun around and made a beeline for the door.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Chihiro panicked as she jiggled the door's knob, "Open already, dangit!"

But it was no use—the knob didn't respond to her touch at all!

"Now's not the time to get stuck!" Chihiro yanked the doorknob some more, then kicked the door in a frantic motion, "OPEN UP!"

Still, nothing happened. The door didn't even make a sound as Chihiro's kick made contact, as if she hadn't even touched it at all!

"Crap! What's wrong with this thing?!"

"_**CLEANSE THE ANOMALY!"**_

Chihiro screamed once more as the reapers floated towards her with the speed of cheetahs, their massive bodies encased around her as they lifted their scythes, then rolled out of the way as they slashed straight through the door!

Chihiro panted and caught her breath as she looked up and briefly caught flashes of shock on Master Eon, Hugo and Drobot's faces... What got them so worked up? Chihiro didn't have much time to contemplate this, because the reapers had gone in for the kill once more!

With another scream, Chihiro closed her eyes and teleported out of their view! When she reopened them, she found herself within the hub of Ancient's Peak, her body leaned against the exterior of the tower that she once resided in. With a sigh of relief, she slunk down onto the grass.

"That was too freaky," Chihiro panted as she carded her hands through her hair, "Just what's going on in this place? Everything's gray and Hugo and Master Eon can't hear me and there's these weird reapers…"—Chihiro poked her head up—"It's like something out of a nightmare!"

Her breath now completely caught, Chihiro stood up and walked back into the heart of the island.

"Wait, maybe I'm just dreaming!" Chihiro pinched her cheek and yelped as the pain surged through her body, only to open her eyes and groan, "Nope, definitely not dreaming."

Chihiro groaned as she surveyed the island, still lively as ever despite the monotonous grayscale.

"Maybe…" Chihiro's eyes trailed over to the Far-Viewer where Cali and Persephone were engaged in deep conversation, "Master Eon and Hugo might not be able to see me, but someone else could!"

Chihiro hopped over to Cali and waved a hand in front of Cali's face.

"Hey, Cali!" Chihiro exclaimed, "I could really use your help right now! You see…"

Chihiro stopped short as she noticed that Cali had taken no mind to her. Rather, Cali was still just as engaged in her conversation with Persephone, which was barely audible and completely distorted to Chihiro's ears.

"Persephone?" Chihiro turned her gaze towards an elated-looking Persephone, who held a scrap of worn paper in her hands, "What'cha talking about?"

Chihiro's eyes glazed down to the paper.

"Oh, hey! That's the Fairy Kingdom map I found on my other mission!" Chihiro beamed back up at Persephone, "So, did you figure out when we're gonna leave—"

_**"ANOMALY!"**_

Chihiro made a sharp gasp as she felt a chill pour down over the area, then looked up and scrambled back. Right there, up in the grayscale skies were those reapers and they didn't seem very happy to see her!

"Crap, I need to get out of here!" Chihiro raced forward, only for a reaper to swing its scythe just inches away from her face, "ACK!"

Chihiro teleported away just in time for a reaper to plunge its scythe into the depths of where she once stood, which in turn sent giant fissures through the island! Entire chunks fell apart under her feet the moment she reappeared then plunged into the depths of the skies below, never to be seen again! Wait, hold a second... Chihiro shuddered as she noted that she was surprisingly light on her feet, then looked down to find that no, it wasn't her—the entire area below her had fallen below!

With another scream, Chihiro teleported back onto solid land and dashed into the forest, the chill of those strange reapers thick on her back. She knew for a fact that they were probably chasing after her, but she couldn't stop to check! She was more focused on getting out of this place! Chihiro hunched over and panted as she ran, then stumbled back into a nearby tree as more fissures formed under her feet!

Chihiro clung to the tree's trunk for dear life as she watched the ground below fracture further, then looked back to see another reaper yank its scythe out of the ground below. These guys sure were destructive, weren't they?

Chihiro gritted her teeth, then teleported in a flash of blue. As she found herself near the thankfully-unoccupied sanctuaries, she paused and rested against the crystalline walls of the Magic Sanctuary. Looked like everything here was still intact—maybe they couldn't find her here? If that was the case, perhaps she could rest here and figure out—

_**"FIND THE ANOMALY!"**_

Chihiro suddered as the reaper's bone-chilling voice echoed throughout the island and informed her that nope, that wasn't the case! Chihiro winced as she saw their shadows creep down across the ground, then gritted her teeth and teleported away. Hopefully this time she could shake them...

§

"Huh, there sure are a lot of pulleys here," Stealth Elf remarked as she crossed her arms.

Her blank eyes were trained up at a series of gigantic wicker baskets, all held together with an old-looking rope and wheel pulley system like something from the ancient times. It seemed awfully unsafe, but it didn't look like there were any other options for them to move around. So, looks like a little risk-taking was necessary.

Camo waltzed up to the first basket, then rapped his paw against its surface and watched as the front of the basket swung open. With a smile he hopped inside and beckoned for Stealth Elf to join him, which she did shortly afterwards.

"You know, Camo, there's something I've been wondering about…" Stealth Elf said as she grabbed onto the basket's rope and began pulling it down.

"What is it, Stealth?" Camo asked as he tilted his head, "You can ask, I'm all…"—Camo snapped his claws and watched a ripe pear grow in his paw—"Pears!"

If Stealth Elf had pupils, she surely would've rolled her eyes. However, she did not, so she only cast Camo a tired glance and continued to pull up the basket.

"Back at that place, before we got interrupted by those drow…" Stealth Elf twitched her ear as she brought the basket the highest it could go, "What were you going to tell me?"

"What are you talking about?" Camo tilted his head, then turned around and summoned a few vines.

Stealth Elf tugged the rope to make sure it was sturdy enough to stay, then walked over to Camo's side and watched him crank a nearby wooden lever with the vines he had summoned.

"You know." Stealth Elf jumped onto the edge of the first basket, then flipped into the second as it came close enough in range, "When I asked you about how you know this place so well?"

"Oh, right!" Camo jumped into the second basket and made an awkward chuckle, "Truth is, I don't really know myself…"—Camo's cheery gaze faltered just a bit as he looked down at his paws, "It's strange. I don't remember this place at all, but something in my gut feels like I've known it my entire life!"

Camo leaned against the basket's side as Stealth Elf pulled it up higher.

"I wish I did, though. It won't stop bugging me, like those obnoxious fruit flies that keep messing up the garden!"

Stealth Elf made a contemplative hum as she held the rope tight and steady.

"You probably wouldn't get it, though."

"No, I kinda understand what you're talking about." Stealth Elf pulled the rope once more, "I don't really remember what my life was like before I woke up in that tree trunk…"

Stealth Elf looked down at the endless forest below, her gaze more contemplative than afraid as she watched the leaves pass her by.

"All those years before then are just, gone. There's just a big part of my memory missing… It's like a whole part of my life just never happened."

"We're two apples from the same tree, then!" Camo made a slightly sympathetic, slightly uneasy chuckle, "I don't really remember anything that happened before I woke up on my old island. My family, my past… It's all one big blur!"

Stealth Elf had no more words to say on that subject, so she only went back to pulling up the basket once more.

"And those weird headaches?" Stealth Elf added as she cast Camo another glance, "Or the glowing eyes and stuff?"

"Glowing eyes? That's new." Camo heaved a sigh as he gazed up at the trees, then watched as a leaf fell onto his snout, "Your guess is as good as mine. I still don't remember a thing about that."

Camo shook his head and watched the leaf fly away on the autumn winds

"All I've got is this weird angry feeling I get when I saw those drow messing the place up! It felt like they were destroying a part of me!"

"Well, that's no surprise." Stealth Elf finished heaving up the basket and hopped into the next, "The Tree of Life is the where all life came from!"

"But it's not like that!" Camo insisted as he hopped into the next basket, then pulled the door shut and watched them slide down, "It was like they were destroying my home!"

"Destroying your home, huh?" Stealth Elf crossed her arms as the basket finally came to a stop, "Well, whatever, this should be our stop!"

Stealth Elf looked out towards the wooden platform they had stopped by, which had tons of worn barrels poured down its slopes. She hopped out of the basket, stretched her arms, then narrowed her eyes and vanished completely from the view of those around! This was only for a second, however. In moments, she reappeared on top of one of the barrels and somersaulted over that barrel to the next. Stealth Elf was a gymnast on stage while she bounced, flipped, and jumped across the storm of barrels as though this was merely a simple exercise for her.

"Stealth, wait up!" Camo exclaimed as he jumped over one barrels, then zapped another with a fireball that radiated with the sun's warmth.

That, however, wasn't a very good idea—because the moment the fireball made contact with the barrel it exploded into a flurry of red flames and baked seeds!

"Explosive peppers?" Camo chuckled as he shielded his eyes and licked his snout, "Mmmm, chili!"

Once the clouds cleared, Camo wiggled his rear and leaped on top of one barrel more! With a few shouts of surprise he struggled to keep his balance, then leaped onto the next one and the one that followed before he finally flipped forward and landed next to Stealth Elf.

"Not bad," Stealth Elf remarked with an approving cross of her arms… Well, if an arm cross could be approving, "Now, let's get going before—"

Stealth Elf and Camo ducked down as a flurry of yellow, orange and black swarmed just narrowly above them, all paired with the sound of frantic buzzing that had an almost fearful tone to it.

"WASPS!" Camo exclaimed, only to frown as they passed him by, "But, what are they running from?"

"GET BACK HERE, YOU STUPID BEES!" Exclaimed a shrill voice from across the platform.

Frantic panting was heard as a drow draped in green clothing ran across the platform, a strange device that vaguely resembled a headset clasped tight in a sweaty, slender hand.

"Those things are faster than they look." The drow panted some more, his back leaned over for moments before he pulled himself up, "But so am I!"

The drow then trailed his eyes towards a hornet who had gotten trapped in a thicket and smirked, his grasp on the headband now a little tighter than before.

"Over here, little bee…" The drow crooned as he stepped closer and closer to the terrified hornet and raised the headband high "Just let me—ACK!"

Before the drow could even seat the headband on the hornet's head, however, something tossed him to the ground and sent the headband skidding!  
And that something… Was none other than a furious, glowing-eyed Camo!

"HOW DARE YOU LAY HARM TO THE CARETAKERS OF THE TREE!" Camo proclaimed in that legion of a thousand voice again, "HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!"

"This is going to be a pattern, isn't it?" Stealth Elf bemoaned as she crossed her arms.

The hornet the drow had targeted frantically freed itself, then flew away in a hurry and for good reason, too. Camo was furious and fully ready to fight!

The drow grimaced as he shimmied away from Camo and jumped to his feet, but Camo was not one to give up! Camo only lifted his horns and sprouted vines all around the platform, everyone around now trapped inside its center… And everyone outside completely blocked out.

The drow screamed out in fear as he frantically tried to pry away the vines, only to gasp and run off as a gigantic fireball shot out of Camo's mouth and slammed straight into the vines! The vines themselves were firm enough to extinguish the flames the minute it made contact… But the drow was unfortunately not as fireproof. So, the drow screamed and stumbled about as Camo shot off round after round of flaming hot fireballs! Though, not a single one made contact. In fact, the volleys had grown so frantic and rushed that they seemed to just shoot whatever was in reach!

Stealth Elf herself had to teleport away from where she spectated the battle as a fireball crashed down nearby! Just what was he doing?!

"Watch it, Camo!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she poofed into existence near Camo and tried to pull him back, "You're shooting those things everywhere!"

But Camo didn't pay mind to Stealth Elf at all. He just thrust himself out of her grasp and went back to chasing after the drow, who was still trying to escape with increasing franticness. As Camo got ready to shoot off another fireball, the drow gulped and turned around, then screamed and teleported away! While the drow teleported every which way, Camo continued to shoot off gigantic fireballs, and, quite frankly, heat the place up by a few decades of degrees.

Stealth Elf, meanwhile, grunted and withdrew her daggers.

"Looks like it's my turn," Stealth Elf whispered as she closed her eyes, "Tag team!"

With that said, Stealth Elf blipped out of existence and reappeared in front of the drow as he tried to escape! In response the drow tried to run away once more, but Stealth Elf only teleported in front of him again! So, the drow just teleported a few feet away. Looks like two could play at that game… Stealth Elf teleported in front of the drow and watched as he fell on his rear from surprise with a hidden smirk.

She raised her daggers, now ready to strike… Then felt the heat of a thousand suns and gasped as she turned around! There before her was none other than a gigantic fireball hurtled her way!

Stealth Elf quickly teleported outside its path, but the drow she was about ready to stop was not that fortunate. He could only watch as the fireball slammed straight into him!

Stealth Elf reappeared and gasped as the fireball exploded into bright flames then quickly extinguished itself. Nothing was left behind of its attack other than a few black singe marks on the vines around, not even a corpse or a pile of ashes… Something was up!

Stealth Elf turned around, ready to speak… Then her eyes widened as she saw that same drow creep up beside Camo, his strange headband held over Camo's head.

"Camo, look out!"

Stealth Elf went to teleport, but she was far too slow just this once!

The drow slammed the headband onto Camo's head before he could even notice, they watched with pleasure as Camo closed his eyes and fell lifeless onto the floor!

"CAMO!" Stealth Elf popped beside Camo and cradled his unconscious body, her eyes filled with fury as she glared down the drow, "What did you do to him?!"

"Calm down, forest girl," the drow smirked as he looked down at Camo, "He's far from dead. In fact, I'd saw he's quite _lively_!"

As the drow spoke, Camo stirred a bit and pulled himself out of Stealth Elf's arms. When he stood up, however, he spoke not a word. He only stared down Stealth Elf, then stomped his feet and sent a giant vine of red-hot peppers in her direction!

"What the?!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she teleported away right as the peppers exploded, then reappeared a good few feet away, "Camo, what are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Sorry to say, but he's completely under my control now!" The drow proclaimed as he stroked Camo's head, "Dragon! Take that Skylander out, right now!"

Camo only nodded, then stomped his feet a few times in a row.

As he did this, gigantic vines sprung to life from the platform they were on and wrapped tight around Stealth Elf! Stealth Elf winced as they squeezed her tight, then closed her eyes and teleported out of their grasp. She fell to her knees and caught her breath, but was only given a few key moments to do so for right after, a barrage of fireballs flew towards her direction!

"Huh?!"

Stealth Elf looked up and winced. As the fireballs swung closer, she leaped and teleported out of the way, but didn't stop to watch them crash into the vines that walled off their arena. She was too busy fighting for her life!

"That's it, dragon!" The drow smirked and clapped his hands, "Oh, I love it when things go right!"

"Camo, what are you doing?!" Stealth Elf shouted as she somersaulted over a gigantic watermelon he sent her way, "It's me, Stealth Elf! We're allies, remember?!"

Camo spoke not a word. He just summoned several bananas and flung them towards Stealth Elf like boomerangs! It was so wrong seeing the normally energetic and talkative Camo like this, completely silent and still as he drove his ally into ruin.

"Camo, we're Skylanders!" Stealth Elf shouted as she kicked and punched the bananarangs out of her way, "We're not supposed to fight each other like this!"

"You're wasting your breath!" The drow smirked towards Stealth Elf, "Your little buddy is under my complete control now! He can't hear a word you're saying!"

"You're wrong!" Stealth Elf teleported out the way of a fireball, "The real Camo's in there somewhere, I know it!"

As another string of fireballs shot Stealth Elf's way, she teleported out of their trajectory and grimaced.

"I hope I'm right…"

§

"Wrench," Drobot said as he held a hand towards a sweaty Hugo.

"Here," Hugo replied as he handed a wrench towards Drobot, then watched Drobot turn a few bolts and place the wrench aside.

However, that was only for a few seconds before his eyes trailed back over to the door that had gotten split in half out of seemingly nowhere. The doors in this building were old, but not _that _old! And just splitting clean in half with no prior prompting? What could have possibly happened?

"Screwdriver." Drobot handed a paw out towards Hugo once more, his eyes still fixed on the open panel before him then pushed it again, "Screwdriver!"

"Here." Hugo handed off the screwdriver towards Drobot and bit his lip.

All remained quiet as Drobot and Hugo worked in silence on the machine, the only sounds being mechanical work and that of faint twinkling as Master Eon flitted about the room in a frantic haste and shuddering.

"So, have you figured out how to find her?" Hugo questioned as he pushed himself next to Drobot, "Have you?"

"I would be able to properly analyze the problem if you did not press me, Hugo," Drobot scolded as he pushed Hugo away with one of his mechanical wings, "In so far, I have come to negative conclusions."

"Of course." Hugo sighed, then turned his attention to Master Eon, who still shuddered.

"Is something wrong, Master Eon?" Hugo ran up to Master Eon and clasped his paws, "You're shaking an awful lot! Is there a draft bothering you?"

However, Master Eon paid no mind to Hugo—he continued flicking about and muttering something to himself.

"What was that strange presence?..." Master Eon mumbled as he glazed over Chihiro's tool-infested table.

Hugo wrung his paws together, then frowned as something that sounded like a soft rumble echoed throughout the room.

"Did everyone hear that?" Hugo turned to Drobot and then Master Eon, only to wince as they both nodded.

"Is that an earthquake?"

The rumbling grew louder as they were all tossed to the floor, though thankfully the machine itself remained intact. Hugo grunted as he hit the cold stone face-first, then moaned as he crawled about and reached for his glasses.

"Glasses, glasses…" Hugo patted his paws against the stone floors, then beamed as he grabbed onto his glasses, "Oh, here they are!"

Hugo smiled as he propped his glasses back onto his face, then frowned and tilted his head upwards.

"Wait, did anyone else hear screaming?" Hugo turned to Master Eon and Drobot then scoffed as they gave him strange looks, "Don't give me that look, it isn't me this time!"

Hugo scoffed again as his browns clenched, then he jumped to feet as footsteps and panting echoed through the room!

"Master Eon, it's awful!" Cali exclaimed as she stumbled into the room, eyes wide and sweat rained down her head.

"What's awful, Cali?" Hugo asked as he ran up to Cali, "Is something going on?"

"The island…" Cali made several frantic hand gestures as she spoke, "It's falling apart!"

"FALLING APART?!" Hugo jumped at least a foot in the air, then hastily ruffled his fur as he made his landing, "That can't be!"

"Just look outside if you don't believe me!"

As the rumbling grew more intense, Cali lead everyone down the stairs. The whole room shuddered and rattled along with the earthquake-esque rumbling that grew louder and louder. Crumbs of rock and sawdust cascaded down from the ceilings while larger bricks popped out of the walls like they were made of air! And, to be honest, that didn't exactly make Hugo feel any better.

_Creeeaaaaakkkkkkkkkk…_

What was that? Oh no, don't tell him… Hugo bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling, only to scream as part of it buckled and sent a gigantic bookshelf crashing down on the stairs behind them! The force from its blow was so great that it not only broke the staircase in half, but vaulted everyone off the stairs and out the doors!

They all collapsed in a pile, but only for moments as the crash of a nearby boulder made them jump back to their feet and face reality.

Sure enough, Cali was right… The island _was_ falling apart! Gigantic fissures carved themselves in the earth while entire chunks of buildings crashed down into the abyss. Everything fell apart as if it was made of sand or children's crafting dough, it was horrible! Hugo could barely bring himself to keep his eyes open as everybody else gasped.

"How is this happening?!" Hugo croaked as he covered his mouth with his paws.

"Your guess is as good as mine!" Cali shouted back, before she turned around and widened her eyes, "Persephone, look out!"

Cali grunted and sprinted forward right to where Persephone was trying to race against a cliff face that was slowly falling off from the rest of the island. As Persephone scrambled to the top, Cali lunged forward and pulled Persephone to safety! Once Persephone was safely in her grasp, Cali jumped away and bridal-carried Persephone as they both watch the broken cliff-face sink into the oceans below.

"Are you alright?" Cali asked as she tightened her grip on Persephone.

"Thanks to you, happy Cali!" Persephone exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Cali, only to fly out and lift Cali up while the quakes grew more intense, "Come, now! I believe the rescue balloons are already on their merry way!"

As Hugo, Master Eon and Drobot watched Cali and Persephone take leave, Drobot flicked a switch on his mechanical wings and hovered above the others.

"I will aid in the relief efforts," Drobot said as he hovered ahead and turned around, "Will the two of you be able to calculate the root of this problem?"

"I'm sure Master Eon would know what to do!" Hugo promised as he turned and made a wide, shaky grin towards Master Eon, "Right, Master Eon?…"

"The strange presence is only growing…" Master Eon muttered to himself and shuddered, completely oblivious to Hugo's presence beside him, "Something is very wrong here."

"Yes, yes, I'm pretty sure the whole island falling apart is definitely something very wrong!" Sweats droplets formed on Hugo's brow as he forced himself to smile wider, "Now how do we fix it?"

Master Eon, turned to Hugo and glowed much brighter than before. "Hugo, we must return to the machine this instant!"

"But, Master Eon!" Hugo exclaimed as Master Eon grabbed his paw and pulled him back into the portal room, "What about the island?"

"I don't have time to explain!" Master Eon shot back as he flew ahead, "Just follow me!"

Hugo winced and made a slight waver of hesitation as he watched Master Eon slam the portal building's door shut with magic, but ultimately conceded as Master Eon levitated them both on the remaining part of the stairs that was still intact. No words were spoken as Hugo dashed up the stairs as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, but their urgent pants conveyed enough fear to last Hugo a lifetime.

As the two of them jumped through the vast, open space that once held a door, Hugo breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the room and all its bearings save for the door were still intact, but that way Master Eon kept shuddering indicated that something was still amiss.

"I was not sure at first, but now I'm fairly certain." Master Eon turned back to Hugo and bobbed with utmost urgency, "There's a disturbance in the spacetime continuity!"

"Spacetime continuity?" Hugo repeated as he took off his glasses and wiped them clean, "But how, and why?"

Master Eon floated towards the machine the machine and sighed.

"I had studied this subject extensively in my youth, so I have some ideas…" Master Eon glowed a bit brighter as he examined the machine, "I believe that when the machine disappeared, it dropped young Chihiro into another dimension entirely!"

"That would explain why she didn't return…" Hugo placed his glasses back on and bit his lip.

"Legends spoke about what happens in scenarios like these in my youth. Because she is not native to that dimension, the continuity had been disturbed! And when the continuity is disturbed..."

Master Eon shuddered once again. "It awakens the reapers."

"Reapers?" Hugo blinked and rubbed his glasses, "Like the ones who ferry the undead?"

"Somewhat." Master Eon bounced from area to area as he gathered up stray tools and whatever else, "These reapers, guard the spacetime continuity from any and all anomalies that dare disturb it. When they awaken, they'll stop at nothing to keep reality from unraveling at the very seams… Even if it means destroying everything in their wake!"

Master Eon looked towards Hugo. "And when something in one dimension is destroyed, the damage is immediately brought to all versions of it across dimensions as well."

"That means..." Hugo's eyes widened in shock, but nonetheless he pulled himself together and nodded.

"We have to bring her back, now!" Master Eon and Hugo exclaimed in unison, though their determined turned into frowns and confusion soon after.

"But how?" Hugo asked as he prodded up to Master Eon.

"I may have an idea…" Master Eon remarked as his metaphorical eyes glazed over Chihiro's machine.

§

When Camo opened his eyes, he found that he wasn't into the treetops anymore. Heck, he wasn't even entirely sure that he was _anywhere _anymore! All around him was nothing but blank, white space dusted with the occasional rain of faint sparkles… Had he died? Was he in the afterlife, waiting to be judged or something?

"Vitali!" Cried a voice from ahead.

"Huh?" Camo uttered as he tilted his head, "Who's calling my name?"

And more importantly, how would they know his real name? Only maybe a handful of others knew the name he had before he took on his Skylander name…

"Vitali!"

Camo grimaced, then reluctantly walked closer to the source of the voice. Its gentle, warm sound echoed all across the blank white nothingness, but it didn't do much to reassure him. Rather, Camo felt some kind of wariness as he heard it. He was absolutely certain that he recognized that voice from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where!

"Wait, now I remember!" Camo remarked to himself, "It's that voice! The one from that dream!"

Camo then looked ahead and gasped before he fell into the dragon equivalent of a formal bow… Because before him was none other than the Tree of Life in all its mighty glory!

Its strong, warm brown trunk glowed with luminescent, rainbow-colored veins, its leaves were as green as the rind of a ripe watermelon and gently rustled against the harsh white life, and all around it was an aura of powerful life. Came couldn't help but feel small as he stood before it.

Was this the source of the voice?

"Vitali, there's no need to be so formal," The tree said, its tone gentle and full of warmth, "Why would you have to bow to your own parent?"

"My… Own parent?" Camo echoed as he got up and stumbled back. True, the Tree of Life was one of the greatest sources of Life magic, so in a sense it was the parent to almost all who fell under that elemental alignment…

"Vitali, my dear child…" The Tree gently stretched out its branches towards Camo and cradled him in its arms, "Oh, how I've longed to hold you in my branches once more."

Camo spoke not a word, he could only blink from the sheer confusion of all this. He wanted to ask about it all, he really did, but something about the way the Tree of Life embraced him made him not want to open his mouth… He just wanted to bask in this strange, warm feeling of safety he now felt… Was it nostalgia, perhaps?

Camo's confused eyes widened as something finally came to him—a memory! He could picture it in his mind so clearly, of being small and furled in the grasp of branches so warm and sunny. Branches that nestled him so tenderly like that of a parent's… He could envision it so vividly, a picture-perfect memory of a distant past!

"You're starting to remember now, don't you?" The Tree asked as its leaves drifted down and landed on Camo, "Those days we spent together, you asleep in my branches while the wind whistled you songs of days gone by…"

Those memories… Camo felt them so clearly, but at the same time they felt so distant and wrong, like they weren't of his own?

"Err…" Camo finally brought himself to shake his head and hop out of the Tree's arms, "I'm sorry, but, I don't really know what you're talking about…"

The Tree only made a sigh of an almost disappointed nature.

"I suppose you wouldn't recall everything in this moment…" The Tree of Life receded its branches, "Vitali, you truly are my child, even moreso than most of your element. I've raised you since you hatched, after all."

"WHAT?!" Camo stumbled back and fell on his rump. No way, this had to have been a dream! The mighty Tree of Life, his parent? Surely he would've…

"When you were just an egg, you were left at my roots." The Tree's leaves were caressed by an invisible wind as its spoke with a level of fondness, "So when you hatched, you were ripe with Life Element energy beyond anything I had ever seen!"

A heart-shaped leaf fluttered down from the Tree and landed on Camo's paw.

"It was only natural that I'd take you in and raise you as my own…" The Tree's leaves shook as if it was shaking its nonexistent head, "No, all of us, from the hornets to the rodents to even the smallest flower, we all cared for you as our child!"

Camo gingerly picked up the leaf the Tree had given him and examined it as he tilted his head.

"Oh, it was such a lovely time." The Tree chuckled as its leaves shone bright, "You'd play with the squirrels and bunnies till sundown, then at night you'd rest in my branches while the tree told you stories of ancient days… You'd even surprise the insects with those exploding watermelons you loved so much!"—The Tree chuckled once more as it tickled Camo's chin with its roots—"It was quite humorous, if I'd say so myself."

Camo frowned deep as he clutched the leaf tighter, the Tree's words resonate in his head. All those things the Tree mentioned, they did sound vaguely familiar, but he still wasn't sure if any of that was true. Those memories felt so strange, like they were no more than a dream he had in passing sleep.

"If that's true…" Camo said as he left the leaf fly out of his paw, "Then why can't I remember any of it? None of these things you've said ring any bells!"

The Tree made another forlorn sigh as it withdrew its root from Camo's chin.

"There are many things I'd like to explain to you in due time…" The Tree's warm and parental tone turned serious, "But, now is not the occasion, I'm afraid."

"You mean, you're not going to give me any answers?!" Camo demanded as he stepped forward, his heart pounded against his chest in a slightly faster fashion than usual.

"You see, this isn't quite the reason I have contacted you." The Tree's light dimmed just a bit, "Vitali, you are in grave danger right now!"

Camo made a twisted frown as he tilted his head towards the Tree. Just what was it talking about? He could barely remember what happened till now…

"I had hoped that planting my roots within you would aid you in defeating the forces of evil that have taken our home, but I was misguided." The Tree's leaves drooped with remorse, "Those forces of evil have tried to take you under their branches, they've used their machines to repress your true self!"

"WHAT?!" Camo jumped forward and looked around. So that's why this place felt so strange! "How do I get out?!"—Camo whipped his head in fifty different directions—"Is there a door or something?"

"There is no physical door, Vitali," The Tree explained as its leaves perked up, "You have to break free from the strength of your own wills!"

"Alright!"

Camo grunted and groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut, his whole mind focused on breaking from whatever spell he had been trapped under. However, the strength in his body was minimal… All he could do was groan and fall back on his belly, all while he heaved heavy pants.

"Okay…" Camo sighed and pulled himself back up, "Let's try that again."

Camo grunted once more as he continued to pull himself out… But as he tried to focus, he heard something that sounded vaguely like the cracking of a whip right as a sharp pain seared through his body! Camo shot open his eyes, then looked down and gasped.

Thorny vines had shot out from nowhere and wrapped all around his body! They squeezed so tight it made it quite hard to breath, and their thorns were the claws of a predator that dug into their prey. Worse yet, despite his struggles more of the vines emerged and entwined him. It was hopeless! He could only sink further and further in as the vines wrapped around his eyes, which were now closed from sheer exhaustion. This was truly it…

"REMOVE YOURSELVES FROM MY CHILD AT ONCE!"

Camo's eyes shot back open as thick, woody roots sliced straight through the vines and ripped him out!

"Vitali, are you alright?" The Tree of Life asked as it drew Camo close to its heart.

"… Somehow," Camo panted, his whole body covered in sharp slices and his head hung, "I can't do it. Whatever's got me is way too strong!"

"That's not true at all, Vitali." The Tree drew Camo even closer and snuggled him tight against its trunk, "You've grown so much since the day you left my nest… I'm sure you can break the spell!"

As Camo felt the tree's warm embrace, he felt his mind expand with warm memories he had long forgotten… Days spent basking in warm sunlight that filtered in from the tree's leaves, happily chatting with forest animals, nights curled in tree cavities blanketed by leaves… But most of all the warm embrace of a beloved parent, one who he had long thought never existed!

Yes, the Tree was right, he could do this!

"Alright!" Camo exclaimed as he hopped out of the Tree's embrace, "Time to dish out a FRUIT PUNCH!"

Camo stomped his feet and summoned vines filled with ripe watermelons, then served the watermelons towards the thorny vines with a smack of his tail!

Camo watched the watermelons smack the vines down with a smirk before he gently closed his eyes. His mind, soul, body… They were all focused on regaining control of his body, of leaving this strange place and saving the Tree of Life, just like he had come here to do!

As he focused, Camo felt himself lifted into the air and enveloped in something warm and bright. At first he thought it might've been the Tree… But no, it didn't feel like the Tree's embrace, so warm yet rough and wooden. Surely, it was time he left this place!

Camo opened his eyes, but everything around him had evaporated into warm yellows and greens. Even the Tree of Life had disappeared! But yet, he was sure he could still feel its presence as it cheered him on from a place far away from where he would surely awaken.

"I'm so proud of you, Vitali!" The Tree cried as Camo was completely enveloped in light…

§

Chihiro's heart pounded as fast as her feet did against the cold, gray earth she raced around on. It seemed like no matter how fast she ran, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't shake these creepy reaper dudes—everywhere she went, they tailed behind her rambling about anomalies! Don't they have a day job or something?! Chihiro gritted her teeth as she found herself inches away from crashing into a ruined building, then dug her heels and turned around. Sure enough, the reapers were still behind her and closing in fast!

"You guys don't give up, do you?!" Chihiro panted as she held out her hand.

The sweat that dripped down her body intermingled with her magic, crafting sparkling of cyan lightning in addition to the signature glow of her magical attacks! A flick of her hands sent a series of magic spheres darting towards the reapers, who stood stagnant as the spheres… Phased right through them?!

"The heck?!" Chihiro jumped back and gulped as she pressed against the cold bricks of the ruined building before her. Just what were these guys?

Well, she didn't have much time to contemplate that, because…

"_**CLEANSE THE ANOMALY! REPAIR THE RUIN IT CAUSED!"**_

The reapers charged right towards her, scythes at the ready and eyes narrowed with glowering anger!

Chihiro tossed out a barrier in record time, she believed, but it was hardly noteworthy. One slice from a reaper's staff and it shattered like glass!

"Crap!"

Chihiro's eyes darted every which way in hopes of finding something, _anything _that would allow for her escape, but as the reapers' shadows covered her it became clear that she was cornered! With no other options, Chihiro scrunched her eyes shut and summoned every bit of magic within her aching body.

"GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

Chihiro felt her whole body go numb and fuzzy for a few seconds, then when she opened her eyes she breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she was back in her lab and far away from those reapers. As she slunk down against the walls, her gaze captured Master Eon and Hugo! They were both stuck in what seemed to be an intense conversation…

"Huh, wonder what they're talking about," Chihiro remarked as enough energy surged through her body to stand.

Hugo grabbed a piece of paper while still deep in conversation, then snagged a nearby pencil and scribbled something on it before he held it up for all to see. Her curiosity piqued, Chihiro strolled over to him and placed a hand on her hip.

"'Don't worry, Chihiro,'" Chihiro read as she brushed the paper with her fingertips, "'We're coming to save you!'"

Chihiro sighed with utter relief as she wiped her brow.

"Thank goodness! I'm starting to get sick of all this gray!"

Chihiro smiled as she examined Master Eon and Hugo's hard work, but something in her still felt a little uneasy… Why, though? Well, the chill that raced through her bones paired with faint, ear-piercing whispers served well to remind her!

"Ugh, it's those guys again, isn't it…" Chihiro hissed through her teeth, then turned around and gulped, "Anddddd I'm right."

Chihiro groaned and hung her head. "Boy do I hate it when I'm right."

"_**ANOMALYYYYYYYYYYY!"**_

Under one hive mind the reapers flung themselves at Chihiro, but thankfully they were slow enough to dodge! Chihiro jumped out of their way and cackled as they slammed into a wall, only to yelp as one slashed its scythe and sent waves of energy crashing towards her!

Chihiro flicked her wrists, and from them came a wave of barriers that intercepted the blasts and sent out explosions of magic so intense they rattled the entire area!

Chihiro made a bloodcurling yell as she formed hand cannons with magic and shot lasers back at the reapers, who only spun their scythes together and absorbed the lasers! Chihiro yipped as the blast hurtled towards her, then teleported out just in time for it to fry an unsuspecting stack of papers instead.

As the reapers flew towards her, Chihiro jumped on the back of one, only to phase through and faceplant straight onto the floor!

Chihiro winced as she turned herself on her back and saw the reapers raise their scythes above their heads, then teleported out of the way! As she popped back up in midair, she smirked and crackled her knuckles.

"Y'know, surely you're getting tired of all this anomaly stuff, right?…" Chihiro asked as she held out hands charged with magic, her eyes trained on the reapers who trained their eyes on her in turn, "How about I PUT YOU TO SLEEP?!"

Yeah, that definitely sounded cooler in her head, but whatever.

And so, the battle raged on… But unfortunately for Chihiro, it had grown incredibly one-sided. Every blow she sent was dodged or phased right through them, every blow they sent was barely blocked or dodged. With how this dragged on, she might as well have been fighting a brick wall! As yet another sphere of hers flew right through a reaper's body, Chihiro rocketed towards them and tried to slam them with a barrage of punches, but the reaper she targeted simply leaned out the way of each one! As Chihiro grunted and went to collect herself, the reaper backhanded her with the blunt end of its scythe and tossed her right into a nearby wall! Chihiro screamed as the pain from the impact numbed her body, but nonetheless she pulled herself up.

Once she tossed herself back into the fray and the reapers did the same, the whole thing devolved into one big, dusty, incomprehensible ball of magic and violence! You could barely tell your left from your right!

A reaper screamed as one of its fellow reapers elbowed it in the gut, another one sent Chihiro spinning out the ball, then finally…

"OH FORGET THIS!" Chihiro exclaimed as her whole body glowed cyan.

That cyan glow enveloped the whole room then vanished as quickly as it came to reveal… A tea party, floating in midair! And all of them were invited!

"Hey, are you gonna eat the rest of those cookies?" Chihiro asked as she sneaked a ceramic plate filled with magic cookies away from one reaper.

The reaper blinked a couple times… Then growled and completely flipped the table!

"OKAY, OKAY, SHEESH!" Chihiro jumped out the way of the tossed table, "I'LL LET YOU HAVE SOME NEXT TIME!"

As the reapers grabbed their scythes, one swung forward and went to slice Chihiro in half… But she dodged in the nick of time! All it did was split a wall in half and make it crumble to bits.

"Hah" Chihiro scoffed as she watched the reaper reclaim its scythe, "Missed me!"

Chihiro frowned as the sound of vague, muffled screams pricked her ears. She cast a glance over at Master Eon and Hugo, who seemed awfully panicked as they pointed towards the wall the reaper had just shattered. What was they freaking out about?…

"Wait a second, you guys are tearing this whole place apart!" Chihiro turned back to the reapers and wagged her finger, "And you say _I'm _the one who's gonna do that!"

The reapers didn't seem to care, however! They only rushed towards Chihiro and swung their scythes!

Chihiro gasped, then flung a barrier around herself, Master Eon and Hugo. Her whole heart and soul went into keeping it strong, and thankfully this time it seemed like it was working! Though the reapers slashed away, the most they did was create giant scratches and cracks in the surface. Better than the last times she used barriers, anyhow.

_I can't let them hurt Master Eon and Hugo! How do I get these guys off of our trail?_ Chihiro thought as she bit her lip, only for her eyes to glimmer with realization, _Oh right!_

Chihiro giggled, then teleported right to the broken doorway.

"You want me so bad?" Chihiro questioned as her whole body glowed with cyan light, "Then come and get me!"

Chihiro was engulfed in light for mere moments, then when she could finally open them again she was back at the island's heart!… Which was still crumbling to bits. And more importantly, it seemed that the reapers followed suit! Dark clouds manifested around the portal building's ruined towers for moments, then melded themselves into the reapers' solid forms.

The reapers slowly cascaded down, but this time Chihiro was ready for them! She raced off without even one look back, then as she found herself at a series of floating island chunks she came to a short stop. With an eager smile she hopped from one to the over with a ballerina's precision and a cheetah's speed, like this was nothing more than a game to her!

"Hah! You snooze you lose, buddy!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned back to the reapers and stuck her tongue out at them, "There's no way you could catch me!"

Chihiro got ready to turn around and jump again, but before she did something exploded under her feet and tossed her onto the next platform! Chihiro screamed out, then opened an eye to see the remnants of a gigantic orb fizzle out behind her.

"Geez, since when could they do that?!" Chihiro grunted and pulled herself back to her feet. As she rubbed her bleary eyes, she could've sworn she saw the blobby silhouettes of… The reapers?!

"Crap, they're catching up!" Chihiro stumbled backwards, then narrowed her eyes and dug her heels into the earth, "I've gotta stall them!"

Frustrated and worn but still fighting, Chihiro held out her hands and shot off another round of magic spheres… But as the reapers drew closer, the spheres simply phased through them yet again.

Chihiro heaved a sickly groan and fell to her knees, now completely worn and only able to shake her head.

"No… I can't stop now!" Chihiro gritted her teeth and held up her hands, "I need to protect everyone from these guys!"

Her breath and heart were still heavy, yet Chihiro's hands still fizzled with a determined fighter's magic.

"Skylanders never give up," Chihiro panted as her hands glowed brighter, "And neither will I!"

And with that, Chihiro shot off another round of magic blasts at the reapers! This next blast was sudden enough that it stopped them in their tracks for a few precious seconds—all the time Chihiro needed to hop onto the final platform and run off…

§

Stealth Elf winced as she deflected yet another blow from the still-hypnotized Camo and backflipped out of his range.

"Camo, please!" Stealth Elf begged as she jumped out the way of yet another fireball, "Come back to your senses! We're friends, we shouldn't be fighting like this!"

Camo growled as he opened his jaws wide, like he was ready to shoot off another round of hot fireballs… Then his eyes closed and he passed out onto the platform!

"What's going on?!" The drow that had taken control of Camo demanded as he raced forward to grab Camo.

But, before the drow could, Stealth Elf poofed next to him and elbowed him back! With the drow sent reeling, Stealth Elf crept next to the unconscious Camo and got ready to lift him off the ground…

Only to jump back as Camo was enveloped in green light! This green light hardened around Camo and took the shape of a cocoon made out of leafy vines, then slowly unraveled itself as it dropped Camo back down to the platform. Camo stood tall as he was unveiled, and for that matter so did his horns, which had grown bigger and thorny while a new power radiated off of his body! It was like nature himself had given him a boost!

"Camo…" Stealth Elf took a step back, her daggers clasped tight in her hand, "… Are you alright?"

Camo stood silent, then made a soft chuckle as he gave Stealth Elf a thumbs up. Or rather, toes up given that he didn't have thumbs.

"Right as rainydew melon!" Camo proclaimed.

"Yep, that's him alright." Stealth Elf sighed and would have probably rolled her eyes if she had pupils, but nonetheless walked towards Camo and patted his shoulder, "Glad to have you back."

"I'm glad to be back!"

Camo made a happy chirp as he looked towards Stealth Elf, then both of them fixed their eyes towards the drow that had taken over Camo's mind, who now looked EXTREMELY worried.

The drow whimpered for a few moments, then frantically scrambled towards the vines and tried to pull them apart! Before he could make an escape route, however, a large shadow imposed over him and pulled him back towards a very testy Camo and Stealth Elf.

"Alright, buddy, you've got one chance!" Stealth Elf demanded as the trembling drow was brought before her eyes, "Where's your leader?!"

"Why should I tell you that?!" The drow spat back as magic sparked around his body, as if he were getting ready to teleport away once more, "I have no idea where she is!"

"You don't, do you?" Stealth Elf clasped her daggers tighter and shot the Drow the stink-eye.

"And even if I did, I still wouldn't tell you!" The drow huffed and turned his nose up at Stealth Elf, the sparks now brighter.

"We have ways of making you talk, you know," Camo broke in as he stepped forward, a smirk played on his bright green lips.

"Like what?!" The drow glared down Camo, only to gulp as Camo's small smirk grew wide.

Camo only stepped forwards and tapped the ground under the drow's feet… Then in moments, a bunch of gigantic, bright red peppers sprouted out from the cracks in the ground before they exploded completely!

Stealth Elf and Camo were lucky to escape in time, but the Drow was not so lucky! He could only helplessly squirm and scream as the peppers exploded and coated him in a cascade of spicy red pepper juice!

"AUGH! NOT PEPPER JUICE!" The drow cried and moaned as he fell down, the sparks faded and his whole body shaken, "IT BURNS! IT BURNS! THERE'S NO WAY I COULD PRESENT MYSELF TO OUR LEADER BEFORE THIS!"

The drow hung his head and winced.

"It's a good thing she's got forces at the Tree of Life!" The drow snarled as he glared down Stealth Elf and Camo, "At least she'll have others that can take care of this…"

Camo and Stealth Elf smirked at each other, then watched as the vines that crafted their makeshift arena receded back into its wooden platform. Their access to the world around them regained, then two of them raced up to the drow and swiftly patted the drow on the arm before they bolted off.

"Crap, did I really just say that?!" The drow's eyes widened with pure, terrified realization to his mistake.

"Thanks for the info, buddy!" Camo chirped as he left the drow in the dust.

"What?! No, get back here!" The drow growled and began sparkling once more, though the sparkles fizzled out just as quickly as they came, "Don't think you can outrun me! You insolent fools, you'll rue the day…"

As the drow's shouts became little more than distant cries, Camo and Stealth Elf looked at each other and shrugged… Then they both jolted up as they heard a sharp creak followed by a loud THUNK!

"OUCH!" The drow screamed from afar, "I HATE CHESTNUTS!"

Camo and Stealth Elf paid no mind to the drow's cries, however. They had already left the drow in the dust as they headed down the winding wooden paths of the platform. Unlike the ones before, these paths were long and complex, much like an actual forest trail… Oh, and they were filled with drow soldiers. That was quite an important detail that couldn't be missed, either.

All down the winding pathway before them, gigantic goliath drow rested with spell punks saddled in backpack carriers protected on the drows' backs, soldiers talked among themselves as they polished their spears… There were even a few sorcerers who waved their staffs and made birds manifest out of magic and thin air from sheer boredom!

The only thing that shielded Camo and Stealth Elf from the drow forces was a gigantic ball made of sticks and twine, seated right at the beginning of the path and just a few feet away from the army.

"Okay," Stealth Elf said as she leaned against the giant twine ball, "You handle the Drow on the left, and I'll—"

Stealth Elf lost her balance as the twine ball nudged forwards from her pressure,

"WHOA, WHOA!"

The twine ball became a mighty boulder as it rolled down the way, Stealth Elf stuck within its grasp! Drow soldiers were sent flying into the depths of the forest, stray twine and twigs were scattered everywhere, and the whole path was clouded with scattered dust!

"Stealth!" Camo called as he bolted down the pathway, "I'm coming!"

Camo charged down the pathway as fast he could, but the ball had gained too much momentum! He was only left in its dust, literally! Camo coughed and fanned away the dust with his tail, then grunted as he jumped over a fallen goliath drow and made a mighty leap! It was a valiant effort… But not valiant enough, unfortunately, for he only dove headfirst into the twine ball! His screams melded with Stealth Elf's as the ball rolled the fastest it could, then jumped off a ledge and smashed into a wooden platform!

The ball was now completely decimated. All that was left was Camo and Stealth Elf. They both sat in a dizzy haze, surrounded by the twine and stick debris that once made up their spherical prison.

"Well, that's one way to get rid of them," Stealth Elf remarked as she stood up and picked twigs out of her hair, "Camo, are you—"

Stealth Elf was stopped short as several blades were shoved in front of her face! With a steely look she gazed around and grabbed her daggers, because all around here were none other than more drow soldiers! Several of them charged towards Stealth Elf, but before they could even nick her with their spears and swords she teleported away and blindsided them with a slash of her own blades! As those soldiers fell unconscious more encroached in on her, but she only blasted them away with a cloud of poisonous spores.

While the guards fell asleep one by one, Camo groaned and awakened at last from his dizzy haze.

"What's going on?" Camo moaned as he stumbled around like he had four left paws, "Why's all the fruit dancing?"

Camo stumbled forwards, then reeled back as several sharp blades swung just inches away from his face! With a shake of his head he lowered his horns, charged straight into his attackers and tossed them aside like they were nothing more than cottonballs!

"These new horns sure are something!" Camo whistled before he glared down the other guards, "Who's next?"

The guards looked frantic as they pointed towards one or another or argued among each other, but Camo paid no mind! He just stormed through and charged into them all! While they were all tossed into the skies and crashed down onto the platform, Camo paused for a moment to bask in his victory.

As he stood though, a large shadow cast itself over his body! Camo looked up to see a gigantic Goliath Drow before him, its toothy sneer wide as it cracked its knuckles. Camo backed up a few paces… Then opened his mouth and released a fireball as hot as the still-shining sun! While the drow was tossed back, Camo backed up further only to stop short as he bumped into Stealth Elf.

"That all of them?" Stealth Elf panted, her grip on her daggers sweaty but tight.

"I hope so…" Camo replied in between labored gasps.

The two of them caught their breath as they watched the unconscious and defeated drow soldiers… Only to gasp as a bright, green light to envelop the drow!

"What the heck?!" Stealth Elf and Camo exclaimed in unison.

As they stood shocked, the enemies they once fought slowly got back to their feet and reclaimed their weapons. Their smiles were wide as they flexed their muscles and stood tall, as if the damage from earlier had been completely healed and vanquished! With loud cries, they all charged back at Stealth Elf and Camo!

"What's going on?!" Stealth Elf demanded as she tossed a spear-wielding soldier aside.

While several more drow went to charge, a proud cackle echoed from somewhere close by!

Stealth Elf's ears perked up, then she teleported out the way of the drow that had tried to bulldoze her with only a cursory glance back taken to see them crash into each other. Stealth Elf made a small chuckle as she reappeared on a tree branch and looked down.

It was hard to see at first, but hidden away in a grassy nook was none other than a spell punk! It had a wicked grin on its face just barely masked by its fingerless hands, and the green and yellow robes it wore did well to camouflage it from the rest of the fight… Even if the colors did make it look quite garish.

However, the nook it was hidden away in was consolidated with drow forces, all scattered around like security guards!

"There sure are a lot of drow there," Stealth Elf whispered as she rubbed her chin, "Even if I teleport in, it would be hard to land a blow without getting their attention…"—Stealth Elf made a smirk—"Unless…"

Stealth Elf then teleported off the branch and back to Camo's side! With a yank of his shoulder, Stealth Elf pulled Camo out from where he was fireballing drow and teleported away to the branch once more.

"What is it?!" Camo demanded as he regained his footing, "I'm kinda busy HERE!"

Camo hissed as he looked down at the vast space below them, before Stealth Elf turned his attention to the nook—literally.

"I found out what that weird glow was!" Stealth Elf pointed down to the spell punk, "It's a spell punk's magic!"

"Huh?" Camo narrowed his eyes then widened them once more, "Nevermind, I see it!"

"And if it keeps healing them, we'll never be able to get past this place!" Stealth Elf crossed her arms, "I'm gonna take care of it, but there's a lot of drow around that place."

"So what you're saying is…" Camo made a playful smirk, "You need a distraction?"

"If you please." Stealth Elf grabbed Camo's shoulder and teleported him back to the battlefield.

"Already on it!"

Camo leaped forwards and stomped his paws. From those simple stomps, gigantic vines exploded from the wooden platforms and burst to life with gigantic, ripe watermelons!

These watermelons, however, were maybe a little _too _ripe… Because the moment they came to life, they exploded and sent juicy, gooey fruit everywhere!

While the drow screamed and trudged and fought their way through the watermelon storm, Stealth Elf merely giggled and teleported away!

When she reappeared, she had popped up next to the spell punk that now watched the battlefield with concerned eyes… Before it turned its gaze to Stealth Elf and squawked! The spell punk had tried to zoom off, but Stealth Elf only teleported right in front of it!

"Sorry buddy," Stealth Elf said as she watched the spell punk skid back and dash north, "But you're not getting away!"

She then teleported in front of the spell punk once more, only for it to high-tail it east! So, she vanished, teleported again and watched as the spell punk headed back to its first choice of escape… Only to slam into a worn scarecrow with an uncanny resemblance to Stealth Elf herself. As it haphazardly floated around, Stealth Elf thrust her palms forwards and sent out a gigantic cloud of green spores!

The spell punk's gaze shot every which way as the cloud of spores enveloped it, ever frantic and confused, then it groaned and fell backwards. Judging by the snores it made, it was now completely asleep!

Stealth Elf placed her hands on her hips, pulled down some vines from above and tied them snug around the spell punk.

"Don't go anywhere~"

As Stealth Elf said this, she was enveloped with a dull green glow and teleported back to Camo!… Who was really not in a good position.

Even with his strange new power boost, Camo just barely fended off the drow while they threw themselves at him like mighty predators who had ganged up on their prey! It was no surprise that he looked extra relieved as he saw Stealth Elf.

"Just who I wanted to see!" Camo exclaimed as he shot off a round of cherry tomato bombs and looked back at Stealth Elf, "Is the thing taken care of?"

"It's catching some Zs right now." Stealth Elf cracked her knuckles, "Ready to finish these guys off?"

"You bet!"

Camo jumped up and down with a mighty force, and from his stomps vines grew all around him and Stealth Elf! Stealth Elf, meanwhile, slowly rubbed her hands… Then in one rapid movement cast them out and sent spores flying every which way! The spores hung in the air for moments before they drifted down onto the vines and covered them in a spring green powder.

As the vines stood stagnant, flowers that soon bloomed into brightly-colored fruit emerged from the vines, much to the confusion of the drow who only paused to examine the fruit… Then it all exploded!

A rainbow cacophony of dusty clouds cast over the battlefield as the fruity chunks burst everywhere, and from them the spores spread like dandelion seeds en mass! The dust cleared as tired moans were heard all about, and from its lifting, hordes of unconscious drow soldiers were unveiled.

In the center of it all was Stealth Elf and Camo, who both stood tall as Stealth Elf held up some kind of worn scroll that acted as a barrier. While the scroll rolled itself up and vanished, Stealth Elf dusted off her hands.

"Talk about a fruit punch!" Camo exclaimed as he did a backflip.

"I'll let you get away with your awful puns this time." Stealth Elf cast a smirk at Camo.

With the drow cast aside, the two of them fixed their eyes on the now clear path ahead. It seemed oddly straight and linear compared to the twisted paths they had previously traveled… Could it be that they had finally reached the end?

Camo and Stealth Elf both nodded and walked down the pathway. As they passed by, the trees and open pathways soon gave way to a short, grassy, mossy green tunnel with a carpet of leaves and mushrooms underfoot, then finally that itself gave way as well! When they exited, they found themselves in a small grove vacant of all trees. Well, save for one…

"Is that?…" Stealth Elf whispered as she stopped right in her tracks.

"The Tree of Life!" Camo exclaimed as he bounded forwards.

The two of them walked up to the tree in all its noble, majestic glory. It was absolutely massive, with bright green leaves that seemed to glow against the sunlight that filtered in from above and the rainbow veins etched into its trunk.

"It's even more beautiful than I imagined…" Stealth Elf whispered as she clasped her hands together.

Camo spoke not a word, but the concerned gaze on his face said all. With a gulp, he carefully stepped up to the Tree, then gulped again and went to place his paw on its sturdy trunk… But before he could even brush his paw against it, a stinger narrowly whizzed past his face and forced him to duck!

"I was wondering if you'd show up, _Skylanders!_" Cried a shrill voice from not that far ahead.

Stealth Elf and Camo turned around, then gasped as they saw none other than a drow witch!

This witch had minty bluish-green skin and was dressed in worn blue and dark green robes, but her blank white eyes shone with anger like any other. In one hand she held what looked like a gigantic, enchanted box remote, while in the other she clasped twin intricately-made golden blades. All around her, gigantic insects who wore enchanted headsets flanked her as bodyguards did, their eyes red with malice.

"You're the one behind all this, aren't you?" Stealth Elf proclaimed as she stepped forwards.

"How'd you guess?" The drow witch said with a chuckle.

"Leave the Tree of Life alone!" Camo demanded as he stormed forwards, teeth bared and eyes narrowed.

"Oh, so scary!" The drow witch whimpered as she stepped back and rested a hand on her forehead in some overdramatic fashion, "It looks like I really will have to pack it all up…"—The drow witch made a smirk—"NOT!"

The witch pointed towards Stealth Elf and Camo, her smirk soured into something more malevolent. "Now's the perfect time to enact my revenge!"

As the drow witch spoke, the insects that surrounded her buzzed even louder.

"MINIONS, ATTACK THOSE SKYLANDERS!"

"Revenge?!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she dodged a hornet that zoomed towards her, "What are you talking about?!"

Stealth Elf's ears twitched as she heard buzzing, then she teleported away as the hornet charged back at her like an angry bull!

"What did we ever do to you?!" Camo shouted, only to scream out in surprise as a ladybug zoomed after him.

While the ladybug chased after Camo in a twisted game of tag and the hornet continued to charge after a teleporting Stealth Elf, the drow witch made a scowl.

"Oh, _you _specifically never did anything to me," The drow witch said, her voice filled with a tranquil kind of rage as she squeezed her blades tight, "It was your comrades!"

The witch's scowl only deepened.

"When Lord Kaos found out that I lost the Eternal Air Source to your little buddies, he threw a fit! I barely survived with my life!"

The drow witch gritted her teeth as she spoke, her voice laced with anger.

"Because of you, I got demoted to the lowest of the low! I used to be a decorated officer, now I'm reduced to petty errands with a bunch of loons!" The drow witch's eyes narrowed, "And I want payback!"

As she finished speaking, however, the anger in her voice lifted just a little.

"And what better way to get it than _killing _you right as you try to obtain the very thing you need to get an Eternal Source and restore your dingy little Core of Light?"

With a snap of the drow witch's fingers, the insects all froze in their tracks while their bodies were enveloped by bright red light! All eyes focused on the bugs as they stood still… Then charged straight at Camo and Stealth Elf!

But Camo put up a vine barrier just in time! The insects rammed straight into it and fell on their backs, completely dizzy and harmless.

"Get up, you worms!" The drow witch exclaimed as she stomped her feet, "You have Skylanders to kill!"

However, her cries fell on oblivious ears. The insects remained still as they rested on their floor in a trance.

"Now's no time for a nap!" The anger in the drow witch's voice was only exemplified by her groaning and withdrawing her blades, "Well, you know how the saying goes. If you want something done right…"

With a flick of her wrist, the blades shot out of her hands and slashed through Camo's barrier of vines!

"Sometimes you just have to do it yourself!"

Camo and Stealth Elf jumped out just in time, but it wasn't enough to deter the blades! Rather, those blades turned right around and continued to chase them back and forth across the platform!

"Run, my babies!" The drow witch cheered as she shook a fist, "Tear those nasty Skylanders to bits!"

It was a mad chase as they narrowly avoided getting grazed, but finally Camo grew fed up!

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Camo yelled as he stomped the ground and summoned vines that caught the blades mid-flight!

The drow witch was so taken aback by Camo's display of anger, all she could do was sputter and stumble back from shock.

"You tried, you really did…" Camo narrowed his eyes, which were now fixed on the remote in the drow witch's hands, "But you made one big mistake!"

Camo stepped forward, and as he did his whole body glowed with life!

"You messed with my home, and my family…" Camo snarled as the glow became brighter in tandem with his words, "And nobody messes with them on my watch!"

"Give me back my blades!" The drow witch demanded as she pointed towards Camo.

Camo only shrugged and made a sly smirk.

"If you insist!"

With a snap of his fingers and a flick of the vines, Camo shot the blades back at the drow witch… But instead of returning to her, they ended up breaking her remote instead!

"My mind control device!" The drow witch screamed as she fell to her knees and frantically picked up the fragments, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

The drow witch was so deep in mourning, she paid no attention to the fact that the insects had completely broken from their trance!

One by one, their headsets released and harmlessly dropped onto the wooden floors. They all seemed quite confused as they tilted their heads and made low buzzing, but the moment they saw Camo their confusion turned to joy! All at once, they swarmed towards him and sounded off with glee!

"Hey, hey!" Camo chuckled as the insects began nuzzling him, "I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but this is a but much!"

Camo's lighthearted attitude grew more serious as he shot a glare towards the frantic drow witch.

"Besides, we've got something we need to take care of!"

The insects buzzed in agreement, then huddled together and made some kind of strange insect noise that sounded vaguely like whispering. When their huddle released, they all glared down the drow witch.

"Alright, everyone!" Camo proclaimed as he lowered his head and scraped the earth beneath him.

"Huh?" The drow witch uttered as she looked back… Only to scream and scramble back as she saw Camo and the now-free insects. "NO, NO, NOT THIS!"

"CHARGEEEEEEEEE!"

All at once, Camo and the insects stampeded straight towards the drow witch, then with a collective thrust shot her into the skies!

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" The drow witch exclaimed as she disappeared into the stratosphere, hopefully never to be seen again.

Once the drow witch finally disappeared from view, the insects all crowded around Camo once more and tossed him into the air! They all buzzed with what sounded like joy and pride, the kind a parent held when their child finished a vast achievement.

"Okay guys!" Camo said as the insects tossed him into the air one last time, "Can I have a moment?"

The insects nodded and parted with Camo right as Stealth Elf walked up to him and nodded. With the two of them now reunited, Camo and Stealth Elf walked up to the still thankfully intact Tree of Life and took a breather—after all, being around the thing that birthed most of your element has a way of intimidating you.

Finally, Camo worked up the courage to step to the Tree's trunk and place his paw on its mighty surface.

"You were right!" Camo whispered as he nuzzled the Tree's trunk while his massive horns glowed green before they returned to their regular size and shape, "I did have it in me!"

_Was there ever any doubt, Vitali? _The Tree replied as its leaves were gently caressed by the breeze, _After all, you are my utterly precious little appleseed~_

The bugs that still surrounded all made what vaguely sounded like laughter, while Camo himself jumped back and cringed.

"Hey, stop it!" Camo hung his head ans scratched his cheek, "You're embarrassing me in front of the bugs!"—Camo made a soft chuckle and pulled his head back up with a proud smile—"But, you're not wrong!"

_Oh Vitali…_

Both Tree and Camo, parent and child, stood in simple silence for a few moments, then finally Camo frowned and sighed.

"But, there's one thing I still don't understand," Camo said at last as he sighed, "Why didn't I remember you, or the bugs, or anything here until now?"  
In response, the Tree of Life made a sigh of its own.

_That… Was my doing._

Camo's eyes widened as he scrambled backwards. "But, but why?"

_I thought it would be for the best, Vitali. _The Tree's leaves drooped with what seemed like regret, _As you got older, you grew tired of your home and begged me to let you see the rest of Skylands. But, I feared that there would be beings who would persecute you for your connections to me. _

The Tree's leaves shuddered and turned a tinge of ref.

_Your powers are already something unlike anything before, Vitali. Had those of evil known of you being my child, who knows what they would have done to you!_

The Tree stretched out a root and brushed it against Camo's cheek.

_I had thought that if I hid your memories of me, of your home, you would be safe! If I had known it would have caused you so much pain, I never would have done it!_

"Mmm…" Camo hummed as he brushed a paw against the Tree's root, a look of slight confusion on his face, "I… Guess I understand."

_But, nonetheless… I could not be prouder of the splendid blossom you have become Vitali. I could not have asked for a better child. And to think, you protect all of Skylands now…_

As the Tree of Life and Camo carried on with their conversation, Stealth Elf smiled and crossed her arms.

"I don't understand a word they're saying," Stealth Elf remarked as the breeze brushed against her dark blue hair.

Camo, meanwhile, made a soft chuckle and stepped back. With a nod to the Tree, Camo cast a glance aside and watched as a bag filled with seeds popped out from the grounds below.

"So, these are my sibs, huh?" Camo asked as he picked up the Life Seeds and smiled, "You know, for Life Seeds you guys sure are small!"

Camo stuck his tongue out at the seeds, then glanced back up at the Tree. "You want me to take them back to the base?"

As the Tree's leaves rustled once more, Camo smiled and nodded.

"I'll take good care of them, I promise!" Camo said as he picked up the bag of Life Seeds.

All was silent as Camo walked up to Stealth Elf and handed the bag of Life Seeds off to her…

"You did it!" Shouted a very goofy-sounding voice, "You saved the Life Seeds!"

Stealth Elf and Camo both screamed and jumped back, their grip on the Life Seeds tight, only to catch their breaths as they caught sight of the voice's owner.

"Oh, it's just you," Camo sighed as he looked over to Arbo, who stood tall on the leaf of a giant beanstalk.

"Come now!" Arbo commanded as he waved his wooden arms, "We must hurry back and plant the Life Seeds, so they can point the way to the Eternal Life Source!"

Camo and Stealth Elf looked once more back at the Tree of Life and smiled.

"Goodbye!" They exclaimed together as they jumped on the beanstalk and waved to the Tree of Life.

As the beanstalk began to recede, Camo ceased his waving and placed a clasped paw next to his heart, a warm, genuine smile on his face.

"And…" Camo whispered, "Thanks, par."

§

While the building around them crumbled to bits, Hugo and Master Eon raced around the machine with a sense of urgency—Hugo maybe a little moreso than Eon.

"THIS IS IT!" Hugo wailed as he took cover under a table, "THIS IS THE END FOR US!"

"Hugo, stay calm!" Master Eon ordered as he jumped to and fro in the chaos and desperately tried to toss away chunks of stone ceiling, "Have you found something that can replicate the fly?"

"Not yet, Master Eon!" Hugo crawled further under the table, "I'm trying, but it's hard to focus when the entire island's—ACK!"

Hugo screamed further as a gigantic stone slab fell from the ceiling and crashed straight into the floor! With a gigantic hole formed in its center, the floor started to crack and cave on itself in some kind of slow-motion death.

Master Eon noted this immediately as he jumped into action and held the floor together with his powers… But even then, it took all the magic in him to keep the floor in place. As he worked his hardest, however, he couldn't help but notice the ceiling crumble above him… And a pebble from the ceiling as it dropped down near the machine! His aura glowed brighter as the pebble lodged itself into the open panel they worked on—he had an idea.

"Hugo, start the machine now!" Master Eon commanded as he looked towards Hugo.

"But, Master Eon!" Hugo shouted back as he crawled out from under the table, "I haven't found—"

"Just trust me!"

The urgency in Eon's voice was conveyed well enough, for Hugo jumped across the floor and started up the machine! As it whirred and beeped, Master Eon floated over and landed on its top.

"Farewell, Hugo!" Master Eon proclaimed as the whole room was enveloped in a flash of light.

All was white and blinding for moments, then when the light cleared Master Eon found himself… In the lab room still! However, everything was now grayscale and noiseless saved from the faint, distorted screams of Hugo as he raced back under the table.

Master Eon bobbed towards Hugo, then dashed right through the wall to find himself outside in the gray, crumbling ruins of Ancient's Peak. The very sight shook him to his core, but he had to persist nonetheless. After all, not just young Chihiro but everybody on this island was in danger and counting on him.

"Now, where could she be…" Master Eon asked as he flitted down and scanned the area… Only to shudder as something large and not of this world phased right through him!

"And what was that?"

Master Eon turned around and saw no culprit—but in the distance, he was sure he barely heard young Chihiro's voice crying out for help!

"Young Chihiro!"

As he spied the remnants of a dully-colored cloth disappear into the distance, Master Eon hastily teleported after them. Though it took a few stops, he finally managed to bring up the rear of these strange cloths, which in turn belonged to demonic-looking reapers!

Thankfully he seemed to have flown under their radar, which gave him enough space to pop over and see them chase after Chihiro!

Chihiro turned around, but she didn't take notice of Master Eon. Rather, she only saw the reapers and screamed before running faster than Eon had even seen her run in his life.

Master Eon and the reapers both chased after her, only to find themselves cornered away in the remains of a wrecked building. All the other exits were blocked off either by debris or the reapers… There was no place more to turn.

Chihiro fell to her knees and caught her breath, sweat heavy on her face. For a moment, all seemed perfectly calm, then…

"_**ANOMALY!" **_Cried the strange reapers.

Chihiro gasped and turned around, only for her face to fall as she realized the reapers had her cornered! As she stepped back, her whole body glowed with magic as if she was getting ready to teleport… But all she did was fizzle out.

"This is it, isn't it?" Chihiro whimpered as she slunk down, only able to watch in horror as the reapers got ready to swing, "This is gonna be how I die…"

Before they could land a single blow, however, Master Eon crashed into Chihiro and enveloped her in light! His whole ghostly body felt warm with magic for mere moments as the light faded, but that warmth still remained as he found himself back in the lab!

"Master Eon! You really saved me back there!" Chihiro exclaimed as she hugged Master Eon tight, "Thanks a billion!"

"Do not thank me just yet, young Chihiro," Master Eon warned as he floated away from Chihiro and towards her machine, "We still need to leave this strange dimension!"

"Right!"

Chihiro nodded and raced towards the machine's lever, but as she reached out to grab it the whole floor finally caved in and took them with it! Chihiro was completely unprepared as well, only able to scream as she and her machine fell through the gigantic hole that was once a floor!

"Young Chihiro!" Master Eon called as he swooped down to Chihiro.

Chihiro, meanwhile frantically swam through the air and latched onto the machine! As Master Eon jumped on her shoulder, Chihiro grimaced and reached a hand towards the machine's lever.

"C'mon, c'mon, just a little…" Chihiro grunted as she reached her hand further, "Closer!"

With a firm _yank, _the lever slid down and the machine enveloped them in a bright flash of light! The light faded quickly enough to reveal that they were back in their home dimension… And they were floating up, apparently?

As they were lifted back to the lab room, everything around them slowly repaired itself! Soon enough, it became as if time had been reversed and nothing had ever happened—the room was just as relatively pristine as it was when Chihiro began!

"Master Eon, is that you?" Hugo asked as he poked out from under the table, "Did you find Chihiro?"

"You bet it's us, Huges!" Chihiro said as she turned around and gave Hugo a smile.

"Oh…" Hugo stumbled out from under the table and held his heart, his eyes weary, "Thank goodness…"

Hugo then fell face-first onto the floor while Chihiro and Master Eon chuckled. As their laughter passed, Chihiro walked over to her machine, then looked inside the inner works and magically flicked the pebble out of its place. Her normally cheery and youthful aura faded into a bit of solemness as she closed the panel and frowned.

"Hey, Master Eon…" Chihiro said as she brushed her hand against her machine's surface and looked towards Master Eon, "If it's alright, could we try this test again?"

"We could," Master Eon replied as he flew down towards Hugo and nudged Hugo up, "But I think we should wait for Hugo to recover first."

"Besides…" Hugo panted as he lifted up a claw, "We should see if everything's… Okay first."

And with that spoken, Hugo groaned and passed out from complete exhaustion, while Chihiro and Master Eon only made faint smiles towards each other.

§_A little bit later…_§

"Alright, this machine should be free of dust, rocks, flies, or anything else that should mess it up!" Chihiro proclaimed as she drew back from the Missionator, only for her eyes to widen as she looked inside it once more, "But maybe I should check again to be sure…"

"Young Chihiro, you've checked sixteen times now!" Master Eon reminded as he floated to her side, "I'm sure its fine."

Chihiro warily closed the open panel in response to Master Eon's words, then they all looked at the machine and gulped.

"Maybe."

All was silent for a few moments… Then Chihiro walked towards the lever and gripped it tight.

"Well, guess I'll do the honors."

Chihiro pulled the lever down, then rushed back as the machine started to whir…

But for once, it seemed to have actually worked! Its satellite spun around with a hiss, and as it did, rows of information scrolled down the screen. Everything was as it should have been!

They all exhaled their held breathes, then Chihiro skipped up to the keyboard and typed something in. Within moments of her input a list slowly trudged out of the printer slot, a list that was soon taken and examined by Hugo.

"This is perfect!" Hugo said as he smiled and tucked the list away in his pocket, "This will definitely streamline patrol organization!"

"So…" Chihiro said as she turned around and twiddled her fingers, "Does that mean I pass?"

"Indeed!"

While Hugo and Master Eon smiled in affirmation, Chihiro made a smile about as wide as her following jump was high. That is to say, very!

"Yes! Finally!"


	17. Chapter 17

**I was going to make some kind of pun involving this being the seventeenth chapter, but I couldn't think of anything good so onto review responses!**

**Greenswitch: Honestly, the stuff involving the reapers was some of my favorite scenes to write in general, mainly because I wanted to do something a little different than a normal mission and ran with it! As for your theory, I won't say much because it would be major spoilers for latter installments, but I do have plans for SOME guest stars... Just not the ones you might be expecting! (Insert wink emoji here)**

**Also, I don't blame you for not remembering Camo being hatched at the Tree of Life given that it's only offhandedly mentioned in his backstory. (That was actually what inspired that part of the chapter, to be honest! I was thinking about how it was so briefly mentioned and thought, "What if it was because he didn't remember anything about being hatched at the Tree's roots?" and ran from there)**

**Watch Seeker: I'm so glad you enjoyed Camo's story, I had a lot of fun writing it! And yep, that was supposed to be his Thorn Horn form—I'm glad people could pick up on it!**

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work, Camo?" Stump Smash asked as he crossed his thick, wooden arms.

"Of course it will, Stump Smash!" Camo replied as he dropped the Life Seeds into an open plot dug within an offside cliff, "Who are you to doubt the Tree of Life?"

"Oh, I'm not doubting it any." Stump Smash nudged his shoulder to the side, "But I think Hugo's got his fair share of concerns."

Camo looked to where Stump Smash was indicating and frowned.

As Zook and Arbo planted the other half of the Life Seeds in holes sized equal to the ones Camo himself had dug, Hugo paced around in a circle and muttered something under shrill breath—but what? Was he worried this wouldn't work?

"Oh, don't wory about him, Stumps." Camo nonchalantly wagged his tail, "You know Hugo, he's always woried about something!"—Camo turned his attention back to the Life Seeds—"Besides, I've got to take care of my sibs."

"You mean the Life Seeds?" Stump Smash raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Camo scratched the back of his head, then smiled as he gently teased the seeds with his claw.

He faintly heard soft, innocent giggles as he rolled them around in the dirt, which made him smile wider without even realizing it. Though he was still processing all that stuff about the Tree of Life being his parent and all… It was nice to have a family at last.

"Alright, little seeds!" Camo chirped as he spread dirt over the Life Seed-filled plots, "Time for you to grow big and tall!"

Camo smiled and stepped back as the covered plot glowed with thin, yet bright beams of light that poked through the few holes in the earth, then jumped back as the earth below his feet rumbled! While he stumbled back further, the light grew even brighter…

Then faded entirely as a gigantic bush sprung from the earth! The bush's leaves shimmered like jewels in the afternoon sun, then as they absorbed the light gigantic buds popped out from under their branches. These buds grew larger within seconds, bloomed into bright flowers… And then folded back as they blossomed into shiny, red apples!

They all gazed in awe for moments, all silent until Arbo started clapping his hands.

"Bravo, bravo! The miracles of life know no bounds!" Arbo proclaimed, "And now that they've matured, they should be able to tell us the way to the Eternal Life Source!"

"Alright then," Camo said as he walked towards the bushes and gently nuzzled one's branches, "How're you feeling, lil' guys?"

_We're feeling great! We're so full of life! _The bush chimed, its voice like that of several youths in perfect sync.

"That's great!" Camo ruffled the bush's top, "Since you're feeling so good, do you think you can tell me where the Eternal Life Source is?"

A soft hum whistled through the chilly autumn winds as the bush's leaves jostled with life… Then they all shuddered in unison.

_We shan't, not right now! _The bush replied, its voice trilled as if in a panic, _There is a terrible presence rummaging throughout this area!_

"A terible presence?" Camo whipped his head around, "Where?"

What was going on?! Had Kaos secretly planted forces here without notice?! Now that Camo paid more attention to the surroundings, he could hear something that sounded vaguely like a… Stampede?

"Did everybody get off patrols or something?" Stump Smash asked as he turned around, "What's with all that racket?"

Zook, Arbo and Hugo turned around as well… Then they all froze as a gigantic, fluffy, white wave crashed over the island with a symphony of baaing!

Sure enough, Camo was right! A gigantic herd of sheep stormed through the area with a bull's force! But, as he looked closer, Camo could've sworn he saw some light presence of auburn hidden within the fluffy clouds of white wool…

"Somebody!" Cried a shrill, muffled voice from within the herd, "Help me!"

"TRIGGER HAPPY?!" Hugo exclaimed as a furry auburn hand shot out from the crowds, "What's with all these—"—Hugo practically jumped out of his fur as the sheep stormed past him—"SHEEP!"

Hugo made no proper words from then on. All he did was scream and run about in a panic as he desperately tried to avoid the oncoming sheep storm!

Not that many noticed him, either. The others were just as concerned about not getting trampled as Hugo was!

Stump Smash jumped out the way as several ewes nearly plowed him other, only to get tossed out of the fray by a particularly large ram. He grunted as he soared through the crowds and fell onto the back of several more sheep with not a single mind paid from the sheep themselves!

"Oof! Owch! Hey, watch it!" Stump Smash cried out as he was tossed among the sheep, arms flailed the entire time, "I'm not here to crowdsurf!"

As Stump Smash barked at the sheep, one of his mallets for hands slammed onto the head of a particularly nasty-looking ram, who in turn bleated in shock! Stump Smash drew back his hand, then gulped as the ram he had hit glared him down.

"Nice sheepy?"

The ram snorted, then charged forwards and tossed Stump Smash out of the fray! Stump Smash screamed in horror as he went soaring… Only for a gigantic vine to catch him right where he flew!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—" Stump Smash stopped short as he looked down and saw the vine, "Wait, where'd this vine come from?"

"Me!" Camo trilled as he stomped his paws and sent several more vines into the fray, "Who else?"

With a final stomp, the vines stormed through the herd of frantic sheep and tossed them aside in rows! No one sheep was spared—ewe or ram, lamb or grown, it made no difference to the vines! While wool flew through the skies as clouds did, the vines wrapped themselves around Zook, Arbo and Hugo! With their targets secured, the vines lunged out of the herd as they laid the trio next to Camo and more importantly, far away from the sheep's woolly wrath.

"Thanks for that, man!" Zook exclaimed as he patted Camo's back, "I've seen some nasty crowds before, but nothing like that!"

Zook pulled out his bazooka, then shook out the ammunition and turned it around so that its open hole faced his mouth. "Maybe a nice tune will get these guys to chill out!"

Zook took a deep breath in, breathed out… Then jumped out of the way as a dazed Trigger Happy landed face-first just inches away from him.

"Oof!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he got up and rubbed his head, "That's the last time I try wrangling sheep! Maybe being a cowboy isn't in my blood after all…"

"Trigger Happy?!" Hugo exclaimed as he stormed past the others and glared down Trigger Happy, "So you know where all these sheep came from?!"

"Yeah, I'd like some answers too!" Camo exclaimed as he poked his head over Zook's shoulder.

Trigger Happy only made a very strained chuckle and looked away.

"Well, you see…" Trigger Happy scratched the top of his furry head, "It was all for the perfect prank! While you guys took care of those, I'd hide all these sheep I got from some elf farmer at the Perilous Pastures in Hugo's room!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" Hugo exclaimed as he shot Trigger Happy the most angered glare he could muster.

Trigger Happy gulped and carefully backed away.

"But, when I was getting all the sheep together," Trigger Happy continued, "They all smelled something that made them go buck-wild! Next thing I knew, they were all stampeding off like a crowd of angry hippos! Guess I know why that farmer was so eager to get rid of them…"—Trigger Happy looked to his side and gasped—"And that must be why!"

Everybody followed Trigger Happy's gaze and gasped.

"THEY'RE EATING THE APPLES!" Camo exclaimed as he pointed towards the sheep.

Sure enough, Camo was right! The sheep had all crowded around the bushes and dug into the harvest of fresh, juicy apples! The bushes were barely visible among the massive crowds of white fluff and shiny horns!

"Hey, stop that!" Camo scolded as he hopped over to one and tried to push a sheep away, though it was far too stubborn to even slightly lift a hoof, "Those aren't for you to eat!"

Camo futilely tried to push the sheep for just a bit more, only to gasp and fall to his knees as ear-shattering screams echoed throughout his brain! Those had to be the Life Seeds' cries of fear, he had to save them!… Well, once this throbbing headache went away, anyways.

"Guh, guys…" Camo whimpered as he held his paws over his aching, throbbing head, "Calm down, they're just… Sheep…"

Camo only laid down and groaned as he massages his scalp. He wanted to get back into the fray and get those sheep out of there, but all this screaming had set in a migraine so bad he could barely get off the ground!

"What's going on?!" Stump Smash demanded as he looked over at Camo.

"Ugh, it's those awful fluff-creatures!" Arbo whimpered as he held his own head, "They're interfering with the process!"

"Oh really?" Stump Smash crossed his arms and frowned, "I couldn't tell!"

"See! See?!" Hugo exclaimed as he pushed himself between Stump Smash and Arbo and pointed towards the sheep, "I told you sheep were evil! I told you so, I told you so! But does anybody believe poor old Hugo?!"

"Save it for another time, Hugo." Stump Smash pushed Hugo away and looked towards Zook, "Zook! Give me a hand here!"

"On it, Stumps!" Zook exclaimed as he locked and loaded his bazooka.

Stump Smash stormed towards the sheep that still feasted to the hearts' content on the apples, then grunted and raised the mallets that were his hands. He let out a breath… Then pounded down the mallets with the ground as his drum!

As he pounded and slammed away, firm shockwaves shot through the earth with such force that they flipped the sheep on the backs! The sheep themselves were so taken aback, they could only flail their legs and bleat in surprise.

"Now it's my turn!" Zook laughed as he clicked the trigger on his bazooka.

As soon as he did, the thorny missile that once resided retreated into the bazooka itself and shot out! Once it made contact with the ground, the thorn exploded and sent the sheep around it flying far away from the bushes! The remaining sheep watched as the others flew away, then frantically bleated and rolled back on their feet. With shouts of fear they stampeded far, far, away from the apple bushes, until they were no more than a fuzzy white cloud in the distance…

As the sheep finally disappeared over the horizon, Zook blew off his bazooka and rested it at his side.

Camo groaned as he pulled himself back to standing height, then watched with a smile as the bushes slowly grew back their apples.

"Thanks for that, guys!" Camo chirped as he swished his tail, "Talk about a pest problem."

"A pest problem? More like no problem at all!" Zook beamed as he nudged Stump Smash's shoulder, "Right, Stumpy?"

"… Don't call me that," Stump Smash replied as he pushed Zook away, a steely frown on his face.

Camo rolled his eyes as the two of them bantered among each other then walked back to the apple bushes. His smile vanished into neutrality while he rubbed a paw against the one he was conversing with, who was thankfully undamaged by the sudden sheep ambush save for a few missing apples that were quickly regrown.

"Feeling any better, now?"

_Yes, dear sibling! _The bush replied as its rustled with a new energy, _In fact… We can now see the Eternal Life Source! It's hidden within a forest… Yes, a magnificent forest!_

"That's the Great Forest, right?" Camo stroked his paw against the wood in a gentle, almost reassuring manner.

_Indeed, it is! It's a great ways away… But…_

The bushes all glowed in unison, then shot up to the heavens and entwined themselves into one. By the time the light had faded, they were bushes no longer—rather, they were now the trunk to a gigantic tree, with evenly-spaced branches for makeshift stairs!

_We are more than capable of pointing the way!_

"Thanks, lil' guys!" Camo smiled and nuzzled the base of the intertwined trunks, "I knew you could do it!"

"Well then, I suppose that's our cue!" Zook proclaimed as he walked towards the trunk, "Come on, guys!"—Zook hopped onto one branch—"We've gotta get that Source!"

Zook then looked down and frowned.

"Hey, Camo, something buggin' you?" Zook sat down on the branch and kicked his legs against its side.

"Actually, yes!" Camo replied as he looked left and right, "Where's Chihiro, anyways? She'd usually never miss out on something like this…"

"Oh, I know, I know!" Trigger Happy butted in as he hopped up in down and waved his hands in the air, "She had a super top-secret mission today, so she had to leave extra early!"

"A super top-secret mission, huh?" Camo repeated as he looked back at Trigger Happy.

"No worries, we can just tell her about it when she gets back!" Zook said as he hopped onto the next branch.

"Hey, don't leave me behind!" Camo added as he leaped onto the first branch and hopped after Zook.

The two of them started towards the third branch… Then paused to look down at a very irate Stump Smash—actually, no, that was just how Stump Smash always looked.

"Stumps, aren't'cha coming?" Zook asked as he leaned against the trunk.

"How do you expect me to do that with hands like these?" Stump Smash asked as he held up his mallets for hands for emphasis.

Camo rolled his eyes, then snapped his claws and looked back down at Stump Smash. As soon as Camo's snap resounded, a bright green light manifested beneath the ground Stump Smash stood upon! This light was followed by a gigantic vine that burst from the ground, wrapped around Stump Smash's waist then slowly elevated him off the ground.

Camo and Zook then smiled and went back to climbing, but Stump Smash was still less than pleased.

"Don't you think there's a better way to do this?" Stump Smash grumbled as he shook a mallet at Camo.

"Aw, don't worry about it!" Zook said as he turned back to Stump Smash and waved a hand, "Just relax and enjoy the trip!"  
"Easy for you to say!" Stump Smash's frown grew deeper than normal, the veins in his bark creased like wrinkles, "You're not the one getting dragged by a giant vine!"

"It can't be that bad…" Zook made a gentle chuckle, "Actually, it looks kinda fun!"

"FUN?!"

As Zook and Stump Smash bickered and bantered along, Camo groaned and held his head then hopped onto the next branch up. Something in his gut told him that this would be a very, very long mission…

§

"So you're saying the stupid Skyloser took those sheep?" Kaos asked his wrist communicator from within the confines of his utterly brilliant evil fortress, "Very well then, this better work… Or you'll pay for it!"

Kaos smirked an evil, absolutely nefarious smirk as his eyes fell to the picture that emitted from his portal. True, he may have lost one chance to obtain the Life Seeds… But he wasn't going to give up! He waved his hands over the portal, the mental picture of those sheep clear in his mind… And sure enough, a vision of the Skylanders' home island flashed across before it zeroed in on the flock of sheep that had hidden themselves away in some kind of forest!

Kaos snapped his finger, and in a bright flash of light the entire flock had been brought back to his evil plotting and scheming room. Those stupid beasts all baaed and looked about in confusion, but they radiated with such great Life Element energy… Surely, they must have consumed some of the Life Seeds' essence, if not the seeds themselves!

"Alright…" Kaos cracked his knuckles, "Time for my next act of evil brilliance!"

Kaos clapped his hands, and a bright glow emitted from the sheep's bellies for mere moments then vanished… Right as a bunch of shaking seeds manifested on the surface of his portal! Kaos's smile widened as he stepped over to the portal, then placed his hands on its stone rim and watched as a dark red glow encased the seeds.

"Now, you stupid seeds…" Kaos snarled and gripped his portal a little tighter, "Show me where the Eternal Life Source is, right this instant!"

Strained, loud cries echoed throughout Kaos's brain at such an intense volume that it made him lose his grip on the portal and stumble back! But, as he held his pained evil head, a green glow emitted from his portal, almost as if… No, could it be? As the headache faded, Kaos drew closer towards his portal and peered at its surface. It flashed across images of an island tucked away in a hemisphere above Skylands itself, then closer into the island...

"WHAAAAT?!" Exclaimed a shout loud as thunder while flocks of menacing-looking birds flew off into the dark, cloudy distance.

Kaos himself stood steadfast in disbelief with his gaze trained on his portal. He couldn't believe it, perhaps he didn't _want _to believe it, but there, laid right before his eyes by his trusty portal, was none other than the Eternal Life Source's location!

It was housed within the depths of a particularly gloomy-looking forest that sparkled with magic, inside a humble-looking acorn that any normal person probably wouldn't have even batted an eyelash at. BUT, Kaos was no normal person—he was an evil genius of the highest degree! And he knew that the simple green shine of the acorn indicated one and only one thing.

That acorn was the resting place of the Eternal Life Source, and it was being kept from him by… Ugh, _trees_. Those stupid, deceitful trees that looked _so _innocent as they soaked up sunlight and made their stupid green leaves. But, Kaos never trusted them to begin with, and now, he had ample evidence!

"CURSE YOU, YOU INSOLENT TREES!" Kaos exclaimed as he shook a fist at his portal.

"What did the trees do this time, Master?" Glumshanks asked as he poked his head through the door that lead to Kaos's evil plotting room.

"It's awful, Glumshanks! Absolutely horrendous!" Kaos hopped off of his portal, stormed up to Glumshanks, then pulled Glumshanks through the door and gestured towards the still-shining portal, "They stole the Eternal Life Source from me!"

Glumshanks took a cursory gaze at the portal's shining platform, then frowned and furrowed his brows.

"I don't see anything, Master." Glumshanks looked back at Kaos and shrugged, "Just some acorns!"

"Of course a foolish fool like you would believe that…" Kaos hopped back onto his portal and pointed towards an acorn at the top of the stack, "But take a closer look at this little acorn—it's positively green! It's the Eternal Life Source!"

"Oh portals." Glumshanks massaged his forehead.

"And those foolish trees thought they could pull the wool over my eyes, hiding it from me!" Kaos wagged a finger and smirked, "They may have everybody else fooled, but I, KAOS, EVIL LORD OF ALL SKYLANDS, AM NOT SO EASILY DECEIVED! IN FACT, I'LL SHOW THOSE FOOLISH FOOLS WHO THE _REAL _FOOLS ARE!"

"I think that's the tenth time you've used that word today, Master." Glumshanks raised a clawed finger.

"NO MATTER!" Kaos went to step down from his portal… But then lost his footing and fell face-first onto the stone floor with a hard grunt.

Kaos groaned and shook his head, then pulled himself into a stance of full height. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned a crude communications device and tuned it a bit before giving it a quick tap.

"ATTENTION, DROW! I HAVE AN EXTRA-SPECIAL MISSION FOR YOU!" Kaos cleared his throat, "I, THE ALMIGHTY KAOS, HAVE LOCATED THE ETERNAL LIFE SOURCE!"

Excited, static-y chatter rose from the communications device but quickly silenced as Kaos gave it a few more taps.

"It has been found in some stupid Great Forest or whatever its called, hidden away from me by those insolent trees!" Kaos's voice grew louder with some kind of excitement, "And now, it's your job to raze down that forest and bring me the Eternal Life Source!"

All of a sudden, the cacophony of excited voices became hesitant, then rapid and enraged! What was going on down there?

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DESTROY THE SACRED GREAT FOREST?" Kaos growled and shook his communications device, "YOU WORK FOR ME, NOT YOUR STUPID LEGENDS, AND I ORDER YOU TO—"

Kaos's eyebrow reached their highest height as the angry chatter persisted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"YOU _QUIT_? NO, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO QUIT!" Kaos leaned so hard into the depth of his device that his spit flew all over it, "I, THE ALMIGHTY EMPEROR KAOS, FIRE YOU! THAT'S RIGHT! YOU'RE _FIRED_!"

As the resonant chatter grew angrier, Kaos yanked off his communications device, then tossed it to the ground and stomped over it! Who do those drow think they are, resisting orders from their now-former ultimate evil overlord?! It made his blood boil! In fact, they made him so mad that not even completely destroying the communications device was enough to quell his rage!

"Glumshanks!" Kaos exclaimed as he pushed a finger in Glumshanks' face, "Call for every lumberjack troll in our army!"

"What, to cut down a few trees?" Glumshanks asked as he tilted his head, his jaw slack.

"No, Glumshanks…" Kaos turned around and smirked as he drummed his fingers together, then turned back around and stood as menacingly as he could, "TO CUT DOWN ALL THE TREES!"

Kaos cackled so loud that it reverberated around the area, then he looked back his portal and jabbed his hand towards it in the way only evil geniuses cold.

"WHO'S LAUGHING NOW, TREES!?"

As Kaos went back to cackling and bragging about his absolutely genius ploy, a pop brought his attention back to the other side of the room! He turned his attention away from the portal, then watched as a puff of green smoke emerged out of nowhere, and from that green smoke emerged… Ah, yes, just who he wanted to see!

There before him was a minion that in terms of build and sculpt near-perfectly resembled that stupid Skylander Stealth Elf, but far superior. Its body was made of pulsating dark purple energy striped with veins of brilliant green, and its whole body from the slightest hairs on its head to the soles of its feet radiated pure, unhampered evil!

"Lord Kaos!" The minion called as it bowed in the presence of Kaos's sheer evil genius, "I had a feeling you needed me, so I came as soon as I could!"

"Indeed I did!" Kaos replied as he clasped his hands together, "Good on you for being attentive, Evil Elf Ninja!"

Kaos then cleared his throat, and gestured for the Evil Elf Ninja to come view his portal.

"Thanks to my latest brilliant evil plan, I not only stole those Life Seeds from under the noses of Skylameos and their poser master…" Kaos paused for a moment to shudder, "Oh how I loathe her, but anyways,"—Kaos shook his head and watched as the Evil Elf Ninja gazed into the portal—"I have found it!"

The Evil Elf Ninja gazed into the portal, then looked at Kaos and cocked an eyebrow.

"An acorn?" It guessed.

"WRONG ANSWER!" Kaos shook his head, then made a grandiose gesture of presentation with his arms, "I have located the Eternal Life Source, and that's where you come in!"

"Yes, Master!" The Evil Elf Ninja stood tall and firm.

"Gather the Evil Tree Ent and the Evil Bambozooker. The three of you will accompany my forces there and keep those Skylosers from taking my Eternal Life Source at any cost!"

"Understood." The Evil Elf Ninja dropped to its knees, then vanished in another cloud of green smoke.

"Now that that's taken care of…" Kaos brushed off his hands and turned to Glumshanks, "Glumshanks! Arrange a ship to take me to the Fairy Kingdom!"

As Kaos walked out of the room, Glumshanks trailed behind him and frowned.

"Lord Kaos, you won't be overseeing the Eternal Source retrieval operations yourself?" Glumshanks asked as he twiddled his fingers.

"Oh, I can always do that later." Kaos waved his hand, "For now, I want to see how progress on the fairy magic extraction project is going personally for a change!"

Glumshanks sighed, then pulled up a stone tablet and chiseled something down on its solid surface.

"Yes, Lord Kaos. Right away."

§

_All was oddly quiet in the portal room, for once in the several months that had passed since all this nonsense had begun. Everybody else had either left on patrols or were busy scouting the island for any signs of ne'er-do-wells, unusual magic activity or inconveniently-placed sheep, which left only a team of six to rest and reside in the room._

_On the leftmost side, Chihiro rested against a cold, stone wall. Though she seemed calm as she drummed her fingers against her arm, the twitchy smile on her face and the way she bounced her foot against the stone floors suggested otherwise. Beside Chihiro, Persephone fluttered in place as she held a worn paper map tight in sweaty hands, a look of suspense on her normally-cheerful face._

_On the other side of things, Double Trouble rested on the side of an inactive portal as he toyed with his staff. Beside him was Hex, who sat on yet another inactive portal and stroked a ragged and particularly nasty-looking skull as she spoke with Stealth Elf in hushed whispers._

_And of course, Spyro stood attentive as ever as he fixed his golden eyes on Chihiro. The way he looked at her and Persephone was inquisitive, as if his eyes asked the questions his mind surely held while he tapped his claws against the floor._

_All stayed silent, then finally Chihiro cleared her throat and stood tall._

"_Alright, everyone," Chihiro said as she stepped forward and brushed off her hands, "I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here today."_

"_Yes, actually," Hex affirmed as she turned away from Stealth Elf and hovered towards Chihiro, "What was so important that you needed us to take off from missions, specifically?"_

_Chihiro only beamed, then gestured to Persephone to hand her the map. As Persephone gave Chihiro said map, Chihiro beamed and unfurled it for all to see._

"_This map, which Hex, Double Trouble, Dark and I retrieved from a troll hideout in the Symphonic Shrubs a little while back, contains your very answer!" Chihiro pointed to the slightly faded illustration printed on its paper, "Thanks to some extensive analysis on Persephone's part, we've discovered that it's none other than the map to the Fairy Kingdom!"_

_As soon as he heard that name, Spyro perked up and rushed to Hex's side._

"_You finally found it?" Spyro asked as he glazed over the paper._

"_You bet'cha!" Chihiro rolled the map back up and stashed it in her pocket, "And now that we know for sure where Kaos relocated it to, we can finally go there and liberate it from his clutches!"_

_Chihiro giggled and spun through the room, then fixed her hands on a nearby portal._

"_It's been so long, but it's finally happening!" Chihiro said as she beamed back at Persephone, "Persephone, we can finally save your people!"_

_"I've been looking forward to this happy day as well, young honorable Chihiro," Persephone croaked as she wiped tears of joy from her eyes, "To think, I'll finally be able to save my people from that awful Kaos's clutches!"_

_Spyro smiled and placed a paw on Persephone's arm, only to grunt as she swept him up in a tight hug and sobbed even more._

_But, Chihiro paid no mind to this scene—for her gaze was instead fixated on the portal before her._

"_Now, portal…" Chihiro whispered as she placed her hands on the portal and closed her eyes, "Give us a way to the Fairy Kingdom."_

_All eyes fixed on Chihiro and the portal. It was almost nerve-wracking to watch as the portal filled with bright blue light, shot a bright blue beam from its surface… Then exploded in a storm of light! Everybody coughed and grunted as they were covered in opalescent magic dust that vanished in a single second, then frowned as they looked back to Chihiro._

"_Huh, that's strange," Chihiro remarked as she cocked an eyebrow at the portal, a confused frown on her face, "Maybe I wasn't focused hard enough!"—Chihiro's frown turned to a smile as she slammed her hands on the stone rim of the portal once more—"Let's try this again!"_

_Chihiro inhaled then exhaled as she clutched the portal's rim tight. All around her, hearts beat in unison as everybody fixated on the portal with bated breath._

_The portal shimmered for a bit, then cast swirls of magic all across the room as beams of light emerged from its surface. Finally, everybody gasped as an image of a kingdom covered in dead foliage emerged from the portal!… Only to vanish seconds afterwards as another explosion of light blast out from the portal!_

_Chihiro coughed into her hand as she fanned away the fog and glitter, then turned back to the portal and moaned._

"_Seems like Kaos's must've blocked off portals there," Chihiro reasoned as she brushed glitter off the surface of the portal, "Guess I shouldn't be surprised."_

_"Now what are we going to do?" Persephone asked as she held her hands to her face, her eyes stung with tears, "If we can't portal there, then how—"_

_"Can't portal where?" Asked a familiar voice as Cali walked into the room and leaned against the doorway!_

_"Cali!" Chihiro chirped as she dusted glitter off of her hair and watched it disappear into nothingness, "What're you doing here?"_

_"Just went out for a stroll and heard something." Cali shrugged, then turned her gaze towards Chihiro, "What about you? What's going on here?"_

_Chihiro shrugged, then scratched her arm as she looked aside._

"_Well, we WERE going to liberate the Fairy Kingdom from Kaos's grubby clutches…" Chihiro cast an aside glance at the portal behind her and hung her head, "But, it seems Kaos has other ideas. He's completely blocked off portals there,"—Chihiro heaved a sigh and kicked a pebble—"So, now we're just trying to figure out what to do next."_

"_If you can't portal there, then you'll have to find some other ride…" Cali scratched her chin._

"_Yeah, but what?" Chihiro shrugged her shoulders as she stared at the ceiling, "We'll need something that won't stick out too much, and something that's sturdy and strong enough to take such a long trip…"_

_"Strong and subtle, huh?" Cali rubbed her chin, then looked back at Chihiro with a glint of certainty in her eyes, "Like a warship from Kaos's army?"_

"_Eh?!" Everybody else exclaimed as they looked back at Cali._

_Chihiro stepped towards Cali and tilted her head. "Cali, what are you talking about?"_

_"Well." Cali smiled and crossed her arms, "In my time as an adventurer, I've made a lot of connections. And it just so happens that I know someone who snagged one of Kaos's ships and has been looking for a way to the Fairy Kingdom herself!"_

_"REALLY?" Chihiro's eyes glistened with a new elation._

_Cali nodded her head, then looked back at Chihiro with a wide beam._

"_Then…" Chihiro breathed in, then firmly bowed and stood straight, "Can you, please?"_

"_I'll see what I can do." Cali nodded yet again._

_Chihiro jumped a foot in the air and hollered with excitement, then the moment she fell down to the ground she rushed over and hugged Persephone tight! Persephone, in response, returned that hug then spun Chihiro all around the room!_

_Their glee was so massive and infectious that the others couldn't help but smile and chuckle. Even the normally-stoic Hex nodded in approval! Finally things were all starting to come together after all their hard work!_

"_Chihiro…" Called a voice from nowhere as Chihiro looked to the ceiling._

"_Chihiro…"_

§

"Hey, Chihiro!" Spyro called as he gently shook Chihiro's shoulder, "Can you hear me?"

"Oh, Spyro!" Chihiro jolted out of her thoughts and turned back towards Spyro, "What's up?"

"When you're ready, meet the rest of us down in the captain's room." Spyro jumped up and flew off, "We need to discuss our plan before we get there!"

"Oh, right!" Chihiro looked back over the side of the warship, "We should almost be there."

Chihiro paused for a moment to run her finger over the shiny black metal that made up this warship. It was super small and run down in certain areas, but nonetheless it was more than enough for their journey—Cali sure knew what she was doing. Chihiro looked up, but all she could see was a sky coated in deep, regal shades of purple and pink flicked with rhinestone-like milky white stars. With how dark it was, it was almost hard to believe they had embarked early that morning, or that it should almost be the afternoon now! Time zone differences sure were fun.

Well, no use lingering on that now, Chihiro did have a game plan to go over. So, she turned away from the side of the warship, skipped over to a nearby door and yanked it open before she dashed down the stairs it unveiled.

There, everybody else was curled around a worn wooden table, a tired whiteboard marked with instructions right behind them. Across from them in a section only half-blocked by a simple curtain screen was their pilot Calliope, ever diligent as she sailed the ship further.

Chihiro had to admit, she didn't quite expect that connection of Cali's to be another fairy, but hey, life was quite good at throwing those surprises.

Though she didn't have the regal aura that Persephone carried herself with, Calliope was quite pretty nonetheless. Her skin was warm and the color of fresh peaches, her hair was red as roses and kept in a short pixie cut, and her emerald green eyes sparkled with a kind of a diligence to them. Her outfit was nothing ceremonious, to be honest. It was just a tattered plum-colored coat that covered everything from the neck down save for the pinkish-purple fingerless gloves she wore, the lavender wings that sprouted from her back, and the mist trail of the same color that acted as her legs, paired with a simple pinkish-purple crystal pendant.

Though she spoke not a word, one could easily tell that within her heart she carried a level of concern, or maybe diligence? She wasn't exactly an easy character to read.

"Chihiro, you're here! Great!" Spyro called as he cast a gaze towards Chihiro then turned back to Calliope, "Now, before we go over this plan…"—Spyro waved at Calliope, then bowed as she cast an aside glance towards him—"Calliope, right? Thanks for taking us here."

"It's nothing, really," Calliope said as she continued to steer with little mind paid to Spyro, her voice whisperlike but also somewhat raspy, "I just hope it isn't too late for them."

"What was that?" Spyro frowned and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing!" Calliope shook her head then hung it low, "Just, nothing."

Strange, why was she so quick to dismiss… What was it that she just said? Being too late or something? Eh, whatever, it was of no use worrying about it now. Chihiro shrugged, then pulled the whiteboard closer.

"Alright, everyone, the plan's simple," Chihiro explained as she magicked a baton out of thin air and pointed towards the writing on the board, "Step one, we get in there! Step two, we find out what Kaos's done to the place since Persephone left, step three…"

Chihiro glazed over the third instruction, which only had a number of question marks in its slot, then shrugged and turned back to the others.

"I'll get to that later. Step four, we save everyone and send Kaos's cronies packing!" Chihiro waved her baton in a circle as she puffed out her chest, "Any questions?"

"Yes, actually," Stealth Elf said as she raised a hand, then pointed a finger towards the whiteboard, "That plan seems… Oddly simple. Shouldn't we have something a little more than just 'Get in there and beat everything up'?"

"Well, we don't really know what's going on there…" Chihiro scratched the back of her head, then giggled and shrugged, "So I'll just make up the rest as we go!"

Stealth Elf cocked an eyebrow, and though her mouth was covered by her mask it was fairly clear to tell she was frowning in disapproval.

"Whatever that plan is," Calliope said as she steered away at the wheel, "You'd better finish it soon, because we're almost here!"

Everybody jumped from their seats and crowded around the pilot deck's massive window to see that they had pulled the warship towards a gigantic, metallic dock which stuck out greatly from the masses of clumpy vines and leaves that surrounded it! It seemed a bit strange, intimidating, maybe, what with how wild and unkempt it looked.

Chihiro frowned, then took a peek back at the map. While this did lead here and all, a part of her had trouble believing this was the Fairy Kingdom Persephone called home. It looked so unlike the wonderful, fairytale-esque land Persephone had described to Chihiro so many times… But then again, maybe she shouldn't judge a book by its cover, or a kingdom from its front gates.

Persephone, meanwhile, frowned as well while Calliope pulled into the dock's open gates.

"Are you sure this is it?" Persephone asked as she gazed towards Calliope, "This looks nothing like the home I recall…"

Persephone pursed her lips as the ship passed by a sign that read "Fairy Kingdom Hideout — Property of Lord Kaos" in big, blocky Skylandian lettering, its paint red and drippy. Well, no denying it now. Persephone opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else, but before she could even get another word in, the ship ground to a halt and lunged her back into the prior room!

"What the—" Calliope exclaimed as she bonked her head on the steering wheel then shook it off, "Why'd we stop?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know that myself!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pulled herself off of the floor.

Calliope flew towards the upper deck's stairs while Chihiro followed… But before they could reach, something dead and cold fell on their shoulders and made them freeze!

"I'd wait if I were you," warned Hex as she released her grip on their shoulders and closed the pilot room's open screen, "We don't know what could be waiting for us. For all we know, it could be…"

"Kaos?" Chihiro turned around to face Hex and tilted her head.

Everybody else in the room all shuddered at the very mention of Kaos's name.

"Exactly." Hex turned towards Double Trouble and ushered him closer, "Double Trouble, now's the time!"

Double Trouble hopped from the stack of empty crates he sat on and chirped back to Hex in that language of his that Chihiro couldn't quite understand. He then raised his staff to the skies and slowly swirled it around as Hex chanted something in another strange language…

Chihiro felt a strange, tingling sensation as Hex and Double Trouble chanted even louder, then frowned and looked down at her peachy hands… But they weren't peach anymore! Rather, they were now a minty bluish-green color! Chihiro yelped in surprise as she looked down and examined herself, only to find that she wasn't wearing her regular outfit anymore. Rather, she wore something that wouldn't look that unusual on a drow!

"Eh?! What's going on?!" Chihiro demanded as she snapped her fingers and summoned a magical mirror. She looked inside the mirror… Then gasped and stumbled back!

She wasn't human anymore! Her eyes were blank, her ears were long and pointed, and even her normally black hair was now a royal shade of blue. No, she was a drow now! Chihiro screamed again as the mirror vanished incredibly quickly—a bit strange since her effigies usually lasted for more than a few seconds, but maybe the shock had thrown her off.

"Don't panic so much, it's only a disguise," Hex chided as she turned back to Chihiro, her own morbid black robes now purple in color and striped with golden markings, "Just in case we get unwelcome company."

"Ohhhh." Chihiro nodded and beamed as she teased her now blue hair, "Well, I always wondered what I'd look like with blue hair. Guess now I've got my answer!"

Chihiro then turned to the others, who had all stopped to examine their own disguises.

Stealth Elf was no different aside from the fact that she now donned drow armor rather than her usual ninja garb. The same went for Persephone and Calliope, who both wore elegant black and red gowns that masked their wings and misty feet, but the others' changes were more radical by far!

Spyro's scales were now a cold, dull blue in color as opposed to his radiant purple, and the parts of his body that were only golden yellow were now a dead, bony white. Even those kaleidoscopic eyes of his were completely blank! At least that strange blue glow that peered out from under his scales looked kinda cool.

Meanwhile, Cali's fur was now more of a dullish green color that reminded Chihiro of a zombie's skin, and her eyes were now bloodshot and fully yellow save for completely black pupils. Her outfit had changed to a red top striped with golden buckles, black trousers and matching black boots practically coated in silver spikes that did well to match the sleek, black helmet she donned atop her head.

"If that's taken care of," Hex said as she adjusted the oversized wizard hat that now donned her head, then turned to a punk outfit-clad Double Trouble, "We should be going now."

Everybody nodded in unison, then Spyro flew towards the stairs with everybody else close behind.

As she walked behind him, Chihiro couldn't help but feel a little bit antsy. After all, this was such an important mission, and one she had prepared a long time for, too… What if something went wrong? All of a sudden, Stealth Elf's concerns about having such a barebones plan seemed a lot more prominent now…

"Alright, what's going on?" Spyro demanded, his voice echoed like a ghost as he pushed open the door that lead back to the warship's main deck.

The warship itself had arrived at what seemed like some kind of hanger or maybe another dock? Well, whatever it was, it didn't look anything like the docks she had seen before. It was all cold metal walls and weird posters and notices, right down to the platform which rested to the side of where their ship was now parked and lined with a couple of doors that all had troll guards stationed near them. And more importantly, it was filled to the brim with Kaos's soldiers!

The others all filed in and watched Spyro stare down a number of trolls, goblins, and all sorts of other soldiers that donned intricate weaponry! Geez, Kaos must've pulled out all the stops for this place.

"I don't know about this," Calliope whispered as she leaned towards Chihiro, "They seem pretty tough…"

"Alright, buddy!" Exclaimed a gruff-voiced troll with a voice so loud it caught everyone's attention, "How'd you get here? Only officiated officers of Kaos are allowed in this place!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Spyro swished his tail and snorted, which sent a puff of grayish-blue smoke out his nostrils, "We've been assigned here by Kaos."

"Really? 'Cause we didn't get anything from Lord Kaos about new arrivals." The troll huffed and crossed its bulky arms, "Besides, I've never seen your mug around here before. Just who are you duds, anyways?"

"What's there to be suspicious of?" Chihiro insisted as she pushed past Spyro and presented herself to the guards, a warbled smile on her face, "We're all working for Kaos here!"

Just then, a puff of smoke erupted around Chihiro and the rest of her motley crew, one that caused them all to break out into coughing fits! Geez, didn't she get enough smoke trying to work a portal here earlier?! Chihiro winced as she fanned away smoke and rubbed her stinging eyes then looked at her hand. As the smoke finally clearly, Chihiro's eyes widened…

Because her hand was no longer green, it was back to peach! Chihiro winced again, then clenched her teeth and looked back at her armor, except it was armor no longer—it was back to being regular clothes! Her disguise was broken! Chihiro whipped her head around in some vain hope it was just her, but no. Everybody else's disguises had vanished into thin air!

"ITS THE PORTAL MASTER AND HER SKYLANDERS!" The crowd of soldiers exclaimed as they jumped back and thrust their weapons in the air!

"Hah, thought you could trick us, huh?" Mocked a beefy goblin at the forefront of the mob as he banged his armor-covered hands together, "WRONG! Thanks to that fairy magic we've collected and one of the commander's contraptions, we've got a no-sell spell all over the island! Yer magic's completely useless!"

"YEAH!" Cried the rest of the soldiers from the back!

The goblin smirked, then pointed a finger towards Chihiro and her gang. "EVERYONE, ATTACK!"

As the crowds of soldiers cheered and stormed, Chihiro gulped.

"Welp, guess it's time for Plan B!" Chihiro shouted as she cracked her knuckles.

"Plan B?" Spyro shouted back as he looked towards Chihiro, "What was Plan B?"

"FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Chihiro grimaced, then snapped her fingers and watched as they were engulfed in magical cyan flames! She sprung forward and went to launch a punch at a particularly short and stocky troll, but the moment she made contact her flames were extinguished!

"Crap!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped back and snapped some more flames into existence… Only for them to vanish just as quickly, "That's right, they've got a no-sell spell."

Chihiro shook her head, then turned around to where she was sure Persephone was standing only to duck down and nearly dodge an axe's swing, "Crap! Again!"

Across from her, the Skylanders was hard at work as they guarded Persephone and Calliope from Kaos's forces!

Spyro and Stealth Elf nodded in unison then launched themselves towards two of the larger drow soldiers in the armada! The drow only stared with wide eyes as they came in… Then laughed as Spyro and Stealth Elf bounced off their chests and skidded along the floor.

Hex and Double Trouble, meanwhile, raised their hands to the heavens and summoned rains of skulls and bombs made of raw magic! The blasts from their attacks radiated down the sky like comets… But as they hit the ground, they fizzled out and harmlessly bonked the ground beneath their feet instead! They both grunted, then dodged out of the way as the soldiers charged towards them.

"Wait, where did Persephone go? I could've sworn she was with me a second ago…" Chihiro whispered as she swung out the way of the troll she was fighting with, "Hey, Persephone! Sound off if you're still alive!"

But, it was no use calling. The battles had kicked up so much noise and chaos that soon enough, nobody could be seen or heard over the chaos! Everything melded together in a soup of anarchy seasoned with the sound of clashing weapons and battle cries…

"So much for that." Chihiro shook her head as she turned back to her troll opponent, then cried out as she lunged forward and punched!

The troll, however, merely jumped out of the way!

Chihiro turned around and gritted her teeth as the troll mocked her slip-up, before she shouted out again as she raced forward and socked it right into the face! While the troll stumbled backwards, she snagged it off the ground and tossed it right at a gremlin across the way! Chihiro smirked as she watched them both stumble down, then fell to her knees herself as something crashed straight into her!

"Hey, watch it!" Chihiro snarled and turned around only for her eyes to widen, "Cali?"

"Can't talk!" Cali shouted back as she grabbed a knife from her pocket, "In the middle of something!"

Cali grunted as she slashed a goblin dressed in bulky armor… Only for her knife to snap clean in half! Cali gulped as she looked down at her broken knife, then clenched her teeth and looked up at the goblin who now sneered down at her.

Chihiro flexed her wrist and got ready to punch down the goblin, but before she could a big purple blur balled down both the goblin and her! Chihiro grunted as the purple blur crashed into her, then lifted up her head and watched as Spyro groaned and held his own.

"Spyro?" Chihiro exclaimed as she helped him back onto the floor, then winced as she heard a familiar shout of pain!

Her eyes followed the path of the scream and lead her to Stealth Elf, bruised and scratched up on the ground! All around her stood tall and armored trolls and goblins… Stealth Elf was completely surrounded! Stealth Elf grunted, then pulled herself to her feet and vanished in a puff of green smoke!

"There's way too many of these guys!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she dashed through the smoke and reappeared next to Chihiro.

"And they're far too powerful, too!" added another, chilling voice.

Chihiro turned back, and saw Hex as she hovered back to the ground with an exhausted Double Trouble behind her, who only chattered in what seemed to be agreement.

"I hate to say it." Stealth Elf clenched her daggers as tightly as she could with her trembling hands, "But I think we're outmatched."

Chihiro clenched her teeth and winced as the soldiers all crowded around them. Unfortunately, Stealth Elf was right. There had to be at least two hundred of these guys, and they seemed super tough to boot! How on Earth were they supposed to get out of this one?!

"Wait a second…" Cali whispered as she nudged Chihiro's shoulder, "Look, there's an exit!"

Chihiro gasped, then followed Cali's gaze. Sure enough, she was right. Not that far across the passageway beside them was a simple air vent just big enough for all of them to fit in! If they could just make a good enough distraction, surely they could escape…

"Stealth!" Chihiro called as she whipped her head around to face Stealth Elf, "Can you give us a distraction?"

"Distraction, huh?" Stealth Elf remarked as she dug through the pocket of her slacks and pulled out a murky marble-looking thing, "I've got just the thing!"

Stealth Elf bounced the marble thing a few times, then tossed it straight at the ground! The marble shattered as soon as it made contact, and from it emerged a gigantic cloud of green fog that enveloped all around!

The soldiers all coughed and shouted unintelligible words as they tried to make their way through the fog, but it was far too thick to escape from!

"Now's our chance!" Cali exclaimed as she ushered everyone along, "Go, go, go!"

The others were quick to follow Cali's command as they rushed through the more spacious crowds under the cover of the fog. The area around seemed completely identical with the fog all around, and for a while it just felt like running through a maze… Until they popped out of the clouds! Sure enough, they had run far out the reach of the crowds, and were now just inches away from the vent. Everybody breathed sighs of relief as they hopped onto the docks, then Chihiro cleared her throat.

"Alright, headcount," Chihiro heaved as she drew her finger across the group, "Spyro, Stealth Elf, Hex, Double Trouble, Cali…"—Chihiro raised an eyebrow—"Wait a second, we're missing people!"

Chihiro turned her eyes back to the smog-covered crowds and frowned. "Where's Persephone and Calliope?"

"UNHAND ME, YOU ABSOLUTE BRUTES!" Persephone cried from within the crowds

The fog faded and cleared moments afterwards to unveil Persephone and Calliope, now trapped in a gigantic cage! Persephone had her hands clasped against the bars as she glared down soldiers who bellowed with laughter, but Calliope seemed far more distraught. Calliope instead laid on the cage's floor with her head hung low, though for a moment she lifted her head and raised a hand… That seemed to glow purple? Maybe it was the distance creating illusions, but either way Calliope received one glare from the guards that held her captive and quickly went back to sulking.

"Persephone! Calliope!" Chihiro called, then with a shake of her head she hopped off of the docks and got ready to run.

"Chihiro, wait!" Spyro called as he reached out a paw, "Let me go with you, we—"

Chihiro only shook her head, then looked back towards Spyro with utmost seriousness resonate in her eyes.

"You go with the others, Spyro," Chihiro whispered as she let go of his paw, "We're both the leaders here, so it would be really bad if they got us both, right?"

"But…" Spyro clasped his paw as a ring of worry flashed in his golden eyes.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me!" Chihiro made a gentle smile and a nod to back it up, "I'll meet up with you later!"

Spyro frowned and looked aside, then nodded firmly.

"Come on, everyone!" Spyro then nudged the others through the docks' paths, "We've gotta get going, now!"

As everybody else vanished in the distance, Chihiro nodded and turned her attention back to the cage… Which was now being moved out of the hanger! Crap, she had to get going! Chihiro grunted, then bolted forward and slammed right into the side of the cage! Pain seared from every part of her body, but she couldn't worry about that right now! She had to get them out!

Shouts erupted from everyone else around as the soldiers tried to pry Chihiro off the cage, but with all the blood rushing in her ears she couldn't make out a word they said! All she could do was latch herself even tighter onto the cage and try to pry them out… Then something slammed the door open and tossed her to the floor!

Chihiro cried in agony as the pain that coursed through her body finally started to catch up with her. She was so weak, she could only look up as one of the soldiers plucked her up by the collar of her shirt and tossed her straight into the cage! The impact was so great to her already pained body that all she could do was close her eyes and let everything fade to black…

§

"Hup!" Camo exclaimed as he hopped off the final leaf and shook, "Man, it feels good to finally get off that thing! For a moment, I—"

Camo's jaw dropped as he opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of forest surroundings. Or rather, the _lack of _forest surroundings!

Though many trees still stood tall, thankfully, the entire area rang with the sickening sound of revving chainsaws while gigantic trees toppled down as if they were no more than seedlings! What could have caused this? Camo looked up and unfortunately for him, found his answer. There, stationed above the cleaned and halved tree trunks were gigantic, troll-piloted chainsaws!

"Oh no…" Zook gasped as he walked up to Camo's side and took in the damage, "Who could've done this?!"

"Kaos, likely!" Camo replied before he bit his lip, "But how did he find out where we werre? There's no way he could've done that without the Life Seeds!"

"That doesn't matter!" Stump Smash scoffed as he finally dropped off from the vine, "Look at what he's doing to the forest!"

All stood in morbid silence for a few moments… Then finally, Stump Smash cried out and ran in for the kill!

"Stump Smash, hold on!" Camo and Zook exclaimed as they grabbed Stump Smash by the arms and pulled him back.

Stump Smash, however, was quick to thrust himself out of their grip and glare them down. "Why'd you stop me?! Those things are—"

"I know!" Camo said as he held up his front paws, "But we can't just jump in like that!"

"Yeah," Zook chimed in as he nodded in agreement, "You'd get yourself split up!"

"So we're just going to let them have their way?" Stump Smash shot back as he gritted his teeth, his wooden eyebrows clenched tight.

"No, of course not, man!" Zook shook his head, which sent tiny bamboo leaves cascading onto the stump they used as a floor, "But I can't have you getting beat up! You're a tree too, you know!"—Zook made a gentle grin—"I'm sure we can think of something if we just chill out!"

"Yeah, let's all think this through and…" Camo started, only to trail off as he saw Stump Smash glare Zook down further.

"We can't just sit around and wait! You're not taking this seriously enough!" Stump Smash shouted while he gestured towards the still-going chainsaws, "If we don't stop those things…"

Camo winced and stepped back, a part of him praying that whatever he thought was going to happen certainly wouldn't. But, the way Stump Smash and Zook shot back against one another, one fueled with rage and the other with concern, it didn't exactly ease his worries.

"Hey, hey!" Camo pushed himself between Zook and Stump Smash, "Knock it off you two!"

As both Stump Smash and Zook continued arguing, Camo sighed and held his head… Only to lift it up as he heard something that sounded like vines creeping across the floor. Had somebody found them? Camo turned around with full intentions of attacking, but all he found was a giant, red flower, its petals streaked with yellow, purple and black markings that vaguely resembled angry faces! When did that get here? He was sure there weren't any flowers here a second ago…

Whatever it was, it caught Stump Smash and Zook's attention as well! The two of them broke out of their spat to stare at the flower, which had folded its petals in and made some sort of sucking noise.

"What's with this flower?" Camo asked as all three of them tilted their heads.

The three of them stared at the flower in anticipation for a few moments, only to reel back as the flower peeled back it petals and shot a cloudy, reddish-yellow substance at them—POLLEN! Camo was quick to mask his mouth with his tail, but Stump Smash and Zook weren't quite as fortunate! They could only cough and futilely fan the clouds away.

"That sure was random," Camo remarked as he watched the flower wither and disappear into a crack in the stump.

They all shrugged, then Zook and Stump Smash turned their attention back to each other. The moment they locked eyes again, it almost seemed as if their eyes glowed… Red, for moment? But no, that would be ridiculous, Camo was probably just seeing things!

"Anyways," Stump Smash said, his arms crossed and a prominent frown on his face once more and a ring of a red glow around his eyes for moments before it vanished, "Like I was saying, we can't just sit around and let these trolls have their way, you hippie-dip!"

"Like I told you, cool your head!" Zook shot back a little more defensively than before, his arms crossed with a rare genuine frown on his face while his eyes also flashed red for a second, "Do you wanna get turned into firewood or something?"

Stump Smash, however, didn't shoot back. He only looked back at Zook with wide eyes, as if what Zook had just said struck some kind of nervous chord in him… But only for a moment before he pushed his face into Zook's.

"You better watch your words, you walking bamboo stick!" Stump Smash growled as he shoved a hammer-hand in Zook's face.

"And you'd better watch your breath!" Zook shoved Stump Smash out of his face and shook a fist, "When was the last time you brushed your teeth?"

"I'm a tree, you idiot! I don't have teeth!"

Camo could only wince in pain as he watched Zook and Stump Smash bicker. Even though their personalities tended to clash, their arguments never got this intense before! Especially on Zook's end—he was normally the kind of bambazooker who just let things roll right off his back! Why was he so nasty and quick to fight all of a sudden?

"Hey, hey, break it up!" Camo ordered as he pushed himself into the fray, "If we keep making all that racket, somebody'll—"

"SKYLANDERS!"

Camo only sighed as he caught sight of the area above, which now had a whole team of armed trolls panicked and chattering. "Find us."

Zook and Stump Smash looked towards the trolls, then shot one last glare towards each other.

"This was your fault, you know," they both said in unison.

The trolls chattered among each other, then screamed out cries of war as they charged towards Zook, Stump Smash, and Camo! Their axes and battalions were raised high as they went in to swing… Only to get blown away by the sprouting of an entire bamboo patch!

Zook smirked and blew off his bazooka's mouth, but Stump Smash only rolled his eyes and walked forward.

"Impressive… If you were at a birthday party," Stump Smash scoffed as he hit his hammers together and smiled, "I'll show you how to REALLY take care of things!"—Stump Smash pounded his hammer hands together even more rapidly—"DROP THE HAMMER!"

Stump Smash cried out once more, then he became a raging elephant as he dashes forward and pounded down on the trolls with lightning speed! Hammer-shaped indents formed on the grounds below as Stump Smash sped through the crowds of trolls, who could only watch in horror as they were knocked down in droves.

With the trolls cleared out, Stump Smash smiled and crossed his arms… Only for something to smash into him and toss him on the ground!

"Pfft!" Stump Smash spat as he hacked out dirt and turned around, "Hey, what was that—"

Stump Smash gulped as he saw a lofty troll who held a battering ram loom over him, all flanked by a line of other trolls so lengthy it probably stretched across half the forest.

"For?"

The troll charged straight into Stump Smash with the battering ram once more, with Stump Smash only able to scream as he was sent flying over their wooden floor! Before Stump Smash could fall over the edge, however, a pair of vines yanked him from the skies and dropped him back down on the ground! Stump Smash groaned and rubbed his head.

"Camo, was that you?" Stump Smash asked as he turned around, but Camo was far too busy tossing watermelons at unsuspecting trolls to answer Stump Smash's question.

Zook walked forward, then smirked as he spun his bazooka.

"I'd better take care of things from here," Zook said as he slung his bazooka over his shoulder, "LOCKED AND LOADED!"

With a simple pull of the trigger, Zook sent thorny missiles shooting straight towards the trolls and swept those nasty trolls off their feet!… But unfortunately, also rained thorns down everywhere in the process.

And these thorns, they couldn't tell just who was friend or foe! They attacked anything unfortunate enough to be in their paths, and that included Stump Smash and Camo!

"Watch we're you shooting those things, you numbskull!" Stump Smash yelled as he shook his mallet hands at Zook.

"At least I actually got rid of them!" Zook scoffed as he looked back at Stump Smash then dusted off his bazooka, "You just knocked them all down and called it a day!"

"Excuse me?!" Stump Smash charged over towards Zook at quite fast speeds for such an aged tree, "I was the one who did all the work here! You just sat around and cleaned the plate!"

The trolls that once fought them simply lowered their weapons and looked over in what seemed to be confusion.

Camo followed their gaze, then promptly groaned and cradled his face in his paws. Sure enough, Stump Smash and Zook were arguing again, their eyes... A bright red? But they had yellow eyes, not red ones! Was he imagining things?

"Again?" Camo sighed as he went to break them up… But before he could, then trolls grabbed their weapons and went in for the kill!

"Stump Smash, Zook, look out!" Camo called as he chased after the trolls and fireballed down whichever ones he could… Which wasn't much, admittedly.

Stump Smash and Zook pulled away from their argument, took one look at the stampeded of trolls, and then…

"WE'RE TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION HERE!" Stump Smash and Zook yelled as they both blasted the trolls away with a combined blast so intense, it could probably be seen at least a few feet over!

And more importantly, it was so intense the other trolls screamed and ran for the lives! As they cleared out of the way, both Stump Smash and Zook stopped to take a breather—and for a moment, it seemed like they had finally calmed down!

Camo bit his lip as he watched them look towards each other, his heart lifted with hope at the sight of them staring at each other. Had they finally stopped as this petty bickering?

"You could stand to not make things so flashy, you know," Stump Smash scoffed.

"Why are you complaining?" Zook exclaimed with a hapless shrug, "At least it got rid of them!"

"Guys, guys! Break it up!" Camo shouted as he pushed himself in the middle of Zook and Stump Smash's conversation… Only to immediately get pushed out of the way.

The moment they went back to arguing, Camo's eyelid twitched. By the Ancient Elementals, he had enough of this! He was _not _going to play mediator for them if they weren't going to get along!

"Come on, you two! We've got an Eternal Source to take back, you know!"

No use, they just continued to argue. Finally, Camo growled and stomped his feet on the stump below him.

"If you're not gonna come, then I guess I'll just have to make you!"

Right as Camo said this, gigantic vines tore through the stump they stood on and yanked Zook and Stump Smash out of the ground!… However, Stump Smash and Zook were so busy trading insults, they didn't even notice they had been lifted off the ground!

"Blockhead!"

"Sap-mouth!"

"No good walking bamboo husk!"

While they traded insults, Camo made the loudest moan known to plantkind, then yanked some nearby weeds from the ground and crammed them into his earholes. Finally, peace! Now that their arguments were no longer on his mind, Camo strode away with them pulled along by his vines.

As he passed a branch made of tree bark, Camo frowned and looked down. It kind of felt like the ground was… Vibrating? Huh that was strange, but the sensation passed so he just moved along. His eyes were trained on the trees as they were razed down by the chainsaws, and his entire heart burst with fury!… Then extinguished as he caught sight of Stump Smash and Zook.

Ancients almighty, what were they arguing about this time? They were both frantic as they pointed ahead of Camo and shouted, only to turn back to arguing among each other while their eyes flashed red again. Okay, now that he saw that there was definitely no denying that their eyes had something up, but what? Oh, whatever, he'd worry about that later.

Camo rolled his eyes and turned back to the path he had traveled on… Then yelped and widened his eyes as a gigantic chainsaw barreled straight towards him! Luckily, he was able to roll out of the way just in time to avoid its blades… But in the process, the vines he held Stump Smash and Zook with got yanked and sliced clean in half! Stump Smash and Zook both screamed as they crashed down and fell flat on their faces!

"Next time, Camo," Stump Smash grunted as he staggered up and wiped his face, "Watch where you're pulling things!"

"What he said, man!" Zook added as he sat up and brushed dirt out of his leaves.

Camo, however, had no time to address their complaints (or the fact that his earplugs had apparently fallen out). He just grabbed their hands and ran!

"No time to talk!" Camo shouted, "Those chainsaws are everywhere!"

Camo ran even faster despite having them in tow, his heartbeats pounded in his ears as he searched for sanctuary. Everywhere around him held nothing but more chainsaws and enemies and falling trees… Where could he go? Wait a second, there! Not that far across, but thankfully out of the chainsaws' reach, was a hollow tree stump with an open doorway!

A smile formed on his face, Camo bolted inside without a second thought and let go of Stump Smash and Zook's hands. They all breathed sighs of relief… But, that relief was too quickly held. Why? Because right while they were resting, the sound of lurching trees echoed from the outdoors.

"What was that?" They all asked at once… Right as a something large and wooden crashed right over the entrance.

The impact was so great it knocked everybody on their faces! All three of them pulled themselves up and rubbed their aching heads… Only to turn around and groan.

"And we're trapped."

Sure enough, a gigantic tree branch had crashed right over the entrance! Camo frowned, then walked up to the branch and rapped on its surface.

"Seems pretty solid too," Camo remarked as he turned back to Stump Smash and Zook, "We might not be able to break it down."

"Just leave it to us, Camo!" Zook said as he threw his bazooka over his shoulder, "We'll blow that branch down in no time!"

Stump Smash smiled and rested his hand on Zook's shoulder. "We'll have that old branch pruned in no time!"

Camo, however, was more off-put than reassured by their sudden chumminess.

"Weren't you guys about ready to bite each other's heads off a few seconds ago?" Camo asked as he pointed towards Stump Smash and Zook, who seemed equally as perturbed as he was.

"What are you talking about, Camo?" Stump Smash and Zook both turned towards each other while Stump Smash spoke, "I don't remember any—"

Stump Smash grew silent as he and Zook locked eyes, eyes that flashed red the moment they saw each other!

"You know what? Let me handle this!" Stump Smash exclaimed as he pushed past Zook, "One measly little combo attack isn't going to knock down something as strong as that! And definitely not one from your dingy little party cannon!"

"It's a bazooka!" Zook shot back as he clutched his bazooka and pushed past Stump Smash, "Besides, do you have any better ideas?"

"I'm sure I could come up with one better than that!" Stump Smash pressed a hand to his chin and shot Zook a look, "Just give me five seconds!"

One second passed as Stump Smash contemplated… Then two, three, four…

"Got any good ideas, wise guy?" Zook scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Don't rush me!"

Both Zook and Stump Smash seemed inches away from starting another fight, but Camo wasn't nearly as concerned. Rather, he was… Contemplative as he examined them. So he wasn't imagining that strange glow! Camo hummed a bit more, then grabbed Zook by the shoulders.

"Hey, Camo!" Zook exclaimed as Camo turned him around, "What's the big—"

Once Zook was fully turned away from Camo, the red glare and his face both relaxed.

"What was I just talking about?" Zook asked, a finger held to his face.

"Beats me! I can't remember a thing!" Stump Smash remarked from the other side.

_So that's it… _Camo thought as he rubbed his chin and observed both Zook and Stump Smash, _Whenever they look at each other, they just lose their marbles!_—Camo beamed and chuckled—_So just don't let them look at each other! Sounds simple enough!_

Camo jolted up as he heard the sounds of crashing and yelling, then turned around to find that the two of them had eyes locked and fist balled.

"Well, starting now."

Camo stormed forward and pushed past whatever petty argument Zook and Stump Smash had gotten, then turned them both away from each other's view.

"Rrregardless of whatever you were talking about, we need to find some way of getting out of here!" Camo reminded as he looked back at the lofty branch that covered their way out, "Unless you wanna live in a tree stump for the rest of your lives…"

Camo frowned, then let go of Stump Smash and Zook so he could walk around the tree stump. "Anyways, I'm gonna take a look at things, so don't look at each other while I'm gone."

Camo's frown grew deeper as he padded around the hollow tree stump. Around the area itself there was nothing of interest or use, but maybe there was something hidden in the walls or something? Camo stopped in front of a wall and patted it down… But as he did, he could've sworn he heard whirring in the backdrop? As the sound grew louder, Camo bit his lip and continued examining the walls… Then pulled his head back as a thorny missile zoomed just inches from his face!

"Hey! Where'd that come from?" Camo asked as he scrambled back, then jumped out of the way just in time for several large, spiny chestnuts to steamroll the place he once stood at!

Wait a second, he recognized those attacks…

"That can't be…" Camo turned back to where he left Zook and Stump Smash, "Oh no, not again!"

Sure enough, Zook and Stump Smash were at it once more, and this time their argument had grown physical! Zook had his bazooka at the ready, Stump Smash his hammers while their prior attacks bounced around the stump… But before either of them could strike the next blow, Camo weaved his way through the crossfire of their prior blows and slammed his paws on the ground.

"Alright, that's enough!"

The moment Camo spoke, vines jumped from the ground and completely entwined Zook and Stump Smash!

"We're supposed to be figuring this out, not fighting each other!"

Stump Smash and Zook grunted as they tried to pry themselves out of the vines, only for their eyes to widen, though the red glow had yet to fade. What had them so worked up? For that matter, didn't he hear rolling in the backdrop?

"Camo, you gotta let us go, man!" Zook pleaded as he struggled further.

"Only if you agree to stop with all these stupid arguments!" Camo pinched the bridge of his muzzle, "I swear, you've been fighting so much you could practically argue the fuzz off a peach!"

"Alright, alright! We'll stop fighting," Stump Smash and Zook pleaded in perfect unison, "Just let us go!"

"Promise?" Camo tilted his head.

"We will, we will!"

Stump Smash turned to Zook and raised an eyebrow. "Once he says he's sorry, that is!"

"What do I have to apologize for?" Zook scoffed, "You're the one who started it!"

As they bickered yet again, Camo sighed and hung his head. How long was this going to go on? He groaned as he looked up, but when he did… Something crashed into the wall behind him, exploded and blew them all back! And it wasn't an explosive watermelon, that was for sure!

Camo pulled himself back to his paws and turned around to the explosion's source, then smiled as he saw that a hole has been blown in the wall! Camo walked up to the hole to examine it further, then winced as he stepped on something hard and spiky—the fragments of a chestnut shell! Chestnut shell bits and burnt chunks of chestnut meat intermingled with thorn splinters in a small half-circle outside the giant hole!

"Well, that's one way to get out of a stump," Camo smirked as he ran outside and look around the stump, "And look, there's stairs!"

Stump Smash and Zook poked their heads out of the hole and grinned, a grin that made its way to Camo as well!

"I don't know what we did," Stump Smash remarked as he gently patted Zook's shoulder and turned towards Zook, "But we did it!"

"Yeah, man!" Zook chirped as he turned to Stump Smash… Then both their eyes flashed red.

"ANYWAYS!" Camo shouted as he pushed himself between Zook and Stump Smash and watched their eyes return to normal, "We'd better get going!"

Camo turned Zook and Stump Smash's gaze away from each other, then led them both to the stairs and charged right up. All was thankfully silent as they trekked up, until…

"Hey, Camo, you know it was my missile that got us out of there, right man?" Zook asked as he planted a hand on Camo's shoulder.

"Don't listen to him!" Stump Smash groaned as he pushed Zook aside, "My chestnuts were what smashed it open!"

As they bickered yet again, Camo rolls his eyes and looks aside.

"You know what I think?" Camo whispered to himself and only himself, "I think I'm very tempted to light some peppers under people's feet right about now…"—Camo snickered at the thought and looked up—"Oh look, we've reached the top!"

Sure enough, in the time he had been momentarily distracted, Camo had reached the top of the tree stump! He hopped off the stairs and looked around, though there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary… Save for an abandoned pile of rockets, that is! Camo took one jump towards the rocket pile, then grabbed one and turned it around.

"These should work pretty nicely…_"_ Camo remarked as he turned back to Zook, "Hey Zook, can you come here?"

"Geez, that dude…" Zook grumbled as he stormed away from Stump Smash, then turned to Camo and smiled while the red light immediately faded from his eyes, "So, what'cha need, lil' buddy?"

Camo only passed the rockets to Zook and pointed towards the chainsaw. "Think you can mow that thing down with those rockets?"

"Who do you think I am, Camo?" Zook loaded the rockets into his bazooka, then smiled and positioned it just so, "Time to bring in the boom!"

Zook shoots off the rockets, which then immediately blow up the chainsaw!

"Nice job, Zook!" Camo said as he wagged his tail.

"Eh, it was alright, I guess," Stump Smash huffed, "For someone with bamboo for brains, anyways."

"What was that?!" Zook growled as he turned back to Stump Smash, "Bamboo's a perfectly good plant, thank you very much!"

"It was a compliment, you idiot!" Stump Smash growled and bonked Zook on the head, "Your head must be really hollow in there if you couldn't realize something as simple as that!"

"I'd hardly call that a compliment!"

Camo only winced as Stump Smash and Zook bickered once more and buried his face in his paws.

"Ai yai yai…" Camo moaned.

§

Chihiro whimpered as she pulled herself off from the cold metal of whatever surface she laid on. Her head throbbed with pain, her heart pounded faster than it probably should've and she barely even see what was around her, let alone focus. It was like she had woken up from a really bad dream…

"Young honorable Chihiro!" Called a soft, magical voice that Chihiro couldn't recognize, "You've awoken from your sleeping dance at last!"

Chihiro rubbed her head as her vision finally fixed itself. She sat in some kind of cold, metal cage with two metal benches, one on each side, and thick steels bars with just enough space to see brief glimpses of the outside world… Well, Chihiro could've, if her mind wasn't in such a haze that she could barely comprehend the sights around her.

Oddly enough, though, the cage seemed to be… Moving? How on earth could a cage move on its own?!

Chihiro shook her head then reached to scratch an obnoxious itch… But when she lifted her hands, she found them clasped together with black and blue handcuffs!

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she bit on, stomped on and tried everything else she could to pry off the cuffs, "What happened here?!"

Before Chihiro could do anything else, something tackled into her and slapped a hand against her mouth.

"Shhh!" Calliope shushed as she held a finger to her mouth, "They'll hear you!"

Calliope then gestured ahead to show that the cage had been stationed on an equally-sized wooden wagon of some kind, carted by a number of gremlin drivers.

"Huh?" Chihiro tilted her head, then rubbed her eyes and blinked, "Oh, Calliope!"—Chihiro's eyes passed Calliope and fixed on a corner of the cage—"And Persephone, too! What's going on here?"

Persephone sniffled, then rubbed her eyes and wiped her nose. Her hands were also bound tight with those strange handcuffs, and she seemed as if she was at her lowest point!

"You danced your happiest, young honorable Chihiro…" Persephone sniffed as she looked aside, "But they were far too much to handle."

"They?" Chihiro tilted her head. Just what was Persephone talking about?

Just then, fuzzy memories flashed back into Chihiro's mind. Memories of a trip, an ambush, an attack… Oh, now she remembered! Before getting locked up in this cage, she was trying to rescue Persephone and Calliope! Well, so much for that.

"What're they gonna do with us?" Chihiro shook her head and jumped to her feet, "Actually, why wait to find out? Why don't we just bust out of here already?!"

Chihiro thrust her hands in front of her and focused her entire body as she tried to summon an energy sphere, a nice, simple one powerful enough to bust the door of this cage wide open! Her heart slowed back down to normal as she closed her eyes, and she inhaled. Her entire body still with focus, Chihiro felt a crackle of magic against her fingertips.

"HI-YAH!" Chihiro exclaimed as she shot her hands forward, only to draw back as nothing emerged, "The heck?! Why didn't I summon anything?"

"It's those handcuffs!" Calliope whispered back as she held up her own handcuff bound hands, "They nullify all our magic!"

"Dang it." Chihiro sat back down, then turned her gaze to a metal bench underneath a glass window. With a soft frown, she scrambled up its surface and peered at the outside world. Maybe she'd be able to garner some kind of location from the scenery outside, at least that could help.

So, Chihiro poked her head out the window, then Calliope and Persephone flew over to see what she saw. As they looked outside, all three of them gasped!

The outside was… It was too awful to even watch in passing! The villages around had been razed to the ground, all that was left of them being rotted wood, dirty flora and broken sundry. The trees around had died and split in half, while the grass had all rotted away to reveal hard, rocky dirt. Even the skies churned a sickly shade of cloudless brown.

"Oh, no," Persephone whimpered as she held her hands over her mouth, tears formed in her normally-radiant red eyes.

"No…" Calliope whispered as she placed a hand against the window, her mouth agape and her eyes distant, "No… Please… This can't be…"

"Calliope?" Chihiro whispered as she placed a hand on Calliope's shoulder…

But Calliope only crumpled into a ball and sobbed so hard her whole body trembled! She tried her best to muffle it as she buried her head into her coat and curled the rest of her body inwards, but the sorrow in her was just so raw and powerful that little could be done to contain it.

Persephone whipped her head around to face Calliope and wiped away her own tears. Persephone then knelt down to Calliope and gently stroked Calliope's back in some quiet attempt to curb Calliope's sorrows.

Just seeing them, so sad and so hopeless… It made Chihiro furious! She wanted to do something, _anything_, that could help them, that could stop all this! But, with those stupid handcuffs her hands were completely tied, literally. Chihiro frowned, then looked back down at her bare hands. Couldn't she find some other way to get these things off? Well, actually… Chihiro plunged her finger into a round hole she presumed was the lock then teased and pushed against it… But nothing moved.

"Darn," Chihiro huffed as she gazed back at the ruined villages.

She wanted to stay optimistic, she really did… But just the sight of all the damage that Kaos had caused in this place, her allies far gone or enveloped in despair, and her own abilities now completely moot… It was really hard to find a bright side now, not gonna lie. And being surrounded by all this wreckage, to the point where she was faced by it every way she turned certainly didn't help.

_But still, _Chihiro thought as she pressed her hands against the window, _There's gotta be something I can do! I can't just sit around here and do nothing!_

Chihiro bit her lip and balled her hands into fists, then pounded those fists against the window.

_Think, Chihiro, think!_

But no matter how much she thought, nothing came to her. Her whole mind was as blank and desolate as the destroyed villages that laid right outside her window. Chihiro grumbled to herself as she bumped her head against the window, only to lunge backwards as her ride came to an unexpected stop!

Chihiro cried out in pain as her head slammed against the floor, while Persephone and Calliope both jolted their heads up in shock.

The sound of stomping resounded all around their prison as somebody flung the door open! Light poured through the cage's bars from the open world with such intensity it almost completely blinded them!

"ALRIGHT, YA LOT!" Cried some deep, bulky voice as the light started to fade, "OUT YA GO!"

Chihiro gulped, then she and Persephone helped Calliope back to… Well, her lack of feet. The trio reluctantly raised their heads, prodded out of the cage and exited into the world… Which, now that Chihiro paid a bit more attention, was rife with what sounded like screams? Yeah, screams and bright blue light that flashed ahead from an unknown source.

Chihiro turned back to try and find it, but was only greeted by rows of bulky goblins armed with sharp spears, swords and other blades you wouldn't want to fight with. The soldiers all glared at Chihiro as the furthest two of their ranks closed the cage's doors shut, and in response Chihiro turned back around and gulped. They sure weren't a friendly crowd, were they?

Chihiro turned her attention back to Persephone and Calliope, but neither of them paid any mind to her. Their attention was fixed on the thing that lied ahead of them, and the neon blue light it emitted served well to highlight the horror on their faces.

"What are you looking at?" Chihiro asked as she rejoined them and nudged Persephone's shoulder.

"My castle…" Persephone croaked, still utterly oblivious to Chihiro's presence, "What have they done to it?!"

Chihiro looked ahead, and every bone in her body froze.

There in front of her was something that looked like a fanciful, regal castle not unlike the ones she had seen in picture books when she was little… But it felt so much more horrifying. Every single window and crevice in the castle glowed a striking, almost fear-inducing neon blue every few seconds. And in time with those glows, symphonies of pained, horrified screams echoed out from the castle's walls!

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Persephone lashed out at last as she glared back to the soldiers behind, tears of rage flung from her face.

But, they were completely gone! In moments they had vanished and circled around Chihiro, Persephone and Calliope, their bodies like a makeshift wall as they squeezed in tight with no hope of escape.

"What have we done?" Crooned a shrill voice from behind them, "Why, what about what YOU did? All we did is bring you to the place your foolhardiness will lead!"

The soldiers all parted slightly as someone else stepped forward and positioned themself in the sole gap the forces had created.

"To. Your. Grave."

There before them was some kind of humanoid man, his warm peach skin probably the brightest thing around sans the castle. He was decked to the nines in fancy clockwork armor with too many knobs and switches that glowed the same neon blue as the castle, and an indigo cape draped down from the armor's shoulders. His eyes were so deep a shade of brown they were practically black, and that absolutely _cheesy _bowl cut he bore with strands of hair flown everywhere matched those eyes' shade. Above his smirking mouth was a handlebar mustache, like the kind villains in old cartoons had.

If not for the grim circumstances, Chihiro would've laughed her head off. After all, he looked absolutely ridiculous! But, now was no time for laughter, so she merely stayed silent and hoped that the glare she gave this rando would convey just how displeased she was with his appearance.

"Now, now, don't give me that look, child," the man crooned as he lifted Chihiro's chin, "This is a joyous day!"—The man cast an aside sneer—"For me, anyways!"

The man spun around and clasped his hands tight.

"To think, that not only the fairy queen _and _the portal master would fall into my grasp!" The man stopped for a moment then twirled his mustache, "Lord Kaos will surely reward me handsomely when I deliver the news~"

The man then shot a glare towards a shaking Calliope. "Wait a second… Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

Before the man could take a closer look at Calliope, however, Chihiro growled and pushed her face right into his!

"What is this place?!" Chihiro exclaimed at last as she flung her fists in the air.

The man growled as he withdrew his hand, but sneered as he cast a gaze back at the castle.

"This? This castle is by far my greatest achievement!" The man stretched his arms wide as the castle was, "These facilities contain within them machines that completely drain the magic of any living being! All the way down to the last drop!"

Chihiro winced as the man turned back to her. Something told her that was not necessarily a good thing… But then again, the screams and weird lighting was already a big hint.

"Uh, yeah, about that, boss?" Asked one goblin soldier as they nudged the boss's shoulder, "Isn't there another way to drain all the magic from those pixies? Preferably one that doesn't involve as much screaming?"

"NONSENSE!" the man exclaimed as he flicked the goblin's nose, "Lord Kaos wanted every last drop of those fairies' magic, and by the Ancients, I'll drain all that magic…"—the man shook his fist to the heavens—"Even if it means killing them all!"

The moment she heard this, Calliope shook so furiously that she couldn't even stand, let alone fly. She just fell to her foggy feet!

"Calliope!" Persephone and Chihiro called in unison as they both knelt down and held Calliope close.

"Did Lord Kaos really say that?" Remarked a second goblin as they scratched their chin, "I don't think killing all his future subjects would make him very happy…"

A rumble of agreeing choruses rippled across as the other goblin soldiers nodded and mumbled in agreement.

"Well, maybe not that exactly, but what Lord Kaos doesn't know won't hurt him! As long as he's getting the magic, he's perfectly happy to just let me do my work while he conquers Skylands!" The man replied as he turned towards the castle.

"You monster!" Persephone exclaimed as she bore an enraged scowl and glared up at the man.

The man only scoffed as he cast a scorning look down at Persephone.

"Anyways, enough chattering!" The man strode towards the castle, "Take the prisoners to the magic extraction facility, _stat_!"

The soldiers all nodded and focused their attention towards the trio once more… Right in time for a rock to smack right into one soldier's face!

"TAKE THAT!" Chihiro exclaimed as she kicked up sand and shot small rocks everywhere she could, "AND THAT! AND SOME OF THIS TOO! I'M ONLY GOING IN THERE OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

Chihiro paused for a moment to catch her breath, but not for long! As the soldiers fled from Persephone and Calliope in order to capture Chihiro, Chihiro herself went right back to causing a ruckus! She kicked soldiers in the groin, shot rocks and kicked sand into their eyes, and spun as wildly as she could! All the while, she screamed out obscenities and insults that were so utterly dastardly they couldn't possibly be repeated here!

"What are you doing?!" The commander man exclaimed as he shook a fist at his minions, "Get her already!"

"We're trying, boss!" Shot back a soldier as they made a hapless shrug, "But she's being a slippery little—"—the soldier reeled back as sand flew into their eyes—"AUGH, MY EYES!"

"Take that, you no-good walking meat pile!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped up and down, then pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the soldiers, "Nyeh!"

One soldier growled, then snarled as they raised their cleaver to the heavens!

"That's it!" The soldier exclaimed as they swung down their cleaver, "Take this, ya brat!"

The cleaver swung down with such velocity that all the other soldier could only stand and watch as it swung down towards Chihiro… But Chihiro only flung her cuffed hands in front of her face and watched as the handcuffs split in half!

While the cuffs harmlessly slid off of her wrists, Chihiro smirked back up at the wide-eyed soldiers. She could feel the magic flow through her veins, and dang, it was such a good feeling!

"Hah! Looks like making all that nonsense was worth it," Chihiro crowed with a shrug, "Man, who knew insulting people could save your life?"

As the guards growled and lunged towards her, Chihiro kept her confident composure. Now that she had her powers back, surely the battlefield would be a little more even in levels! She flung her hands in front of her, ready to create a gigantic magic blast… But all that came out was a few sparks!

"No way?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked down at her hands, "Why aren't my attacks working? Those weird handcuffs are gone!"

Chihiro froze, then groaned and hung her head.

"Crap, that's right. I forgot about that weird no-sell spell!" Chihiro looked to her feet and snagged a large rock off of the ground, "Looks like I'll have to make a break for it!"

The soldiers all charged towards Chihiro at once, but she merely closed her eyes and vanished in a flash! With the limits of the no-sell spell, she'd only remain invisible for a few moments more. She'd have to act fast!

While the soldiers whipped their heads around and mumbled in confusion, Chihiro dashed towards a very confused Persephone and Calliope! She then lifted the rock above her head and crashed it down on Persephone's handcuffs! As the handcuffs split in two, Chihiro turned to Calliope and did the same thing!

Persephone's eyes widened as the handcuffs fell off of her wrists, but the moment she looked up she merely smiled. Yep, seems like that invisibility spell wore off…

And unfortunately for them, the commander noticed it too!

"There she is, you buffoons!" The commander exclaimed as he jabbed a finger towards Chihiro, "Get her!"

With no time wasted, Chihiro grabbed Persephone and Calliope's hands then bolted down the way! All these razed grounds would leave little cover for them, so all she could do for now was run as fast as her legs could carry and pray that sanctuary would find her way soon.

The pound of footsteps behind her swirled in her ears, but Chihiro could hardly think about that right now! She had to run! As Chihiro ran even further, the ache in her exhausted legs barely notable, her eyes glazed over the paths some more. Just as all hope seemed lost, those eyes of hers fell onto a hut that, while worn, still stood tall! Finally, a place to hide!

Filled with a new energy, Chihiro raced through the alleys and dodged behind the hut. As she heard the sound of stomping pass her by, Chihiro heaved a sigh of ultimate relief.

"That was a close one," Calliope remarked as she dusted off her coat, "We were almost done for."

"No kidding," Chihiro replied as she looked over at Calliope, "Everyone alright?"

"Somehow," Persephone said as she hung her head, her hands clasped against her skirt, "But we've danced ourselves into a truly unlucky situation. With that unhappy spell they've put on the kingdom… How shall we stop them?"

Chihiro hummed, then pressed her hand against her chin.

"Y'know, they said this no-sell spell was powered by fairy magic, right?" Chihiro remarked as she turned back to Persephone.

"I believe so, yes." Persephone nodded as if to affirm her statement.

"Well, if fairy magic is what created it…" Chihiro smiled, then pounded a fist against her hand, "Then maybe fairy magic is what we can use to fight it!"

"Yes, but how?" Persephone's eyes widened with intrigue.

"Can one of you two create a power-up spell?" Chihiro bounced a finger between Persephone and Calliope, "Or, well, whatever you call that kind of magic?"

Chihiro watched as Calliope's hands flared with purple light again. Oh, so Chihiro definitely wasn't imagining it that time!

"Calliope?" Chihiro tilted her head.

"Uh, well, you wouldn't really want me doing it…" Calliope winced as she looked aside, the light from her hands diminished, "Your Majesty, I hate to ask, but could you?"

"I'll try," Persephone replied as she nodded and held out her hands, "If it's for my people, I'll do anything!"

Persephone rolled her hands in a circle, then laid them out flat and watched as a swirl of pastel blue magic emerged from her palms.

"This happy power spell should last for about an hour's dance." Persephone turned to Chihiro, "Hopefully this will work…"

Persephone gently nudged the swirl, then watched as it flew over towards Chihiro. Chihiro winced for a moment as the swirl plunged into chest… Only to open her eyes when she realized nothing bad had happened. Heck, she felt great! It was like she had just gotten up in the morning and was full of life!

Chihiro bounced to her feet, then held out her hands as she tried to summon a magic sphere. Her mouth twisted into a frown as she closed her eyes and focused, then as she heard a familiar _whoosh _Chihiro opened her eyes.

"Persephone, you did it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked down at her hands, "The spell worked!"

Sure enough, right in her hands was a bright, cyan magic sphere! Man, she really took being able to summon these things whenever she pleased for granted!

"Indeed it did!" Persephone flew up and clapped.

The two of them basked in their accomplishment, but Calliope wasn't as quick to join. Instead, she only frowned and peered her head around the hut's shelter.

"Er, I hate to interrupt the celebrations…" Calliope said as she turned her head back around and clenched her teeth, "But they're getting closer!"

Chihiro's eyes widened, but her energy didn't recede. She merely smiled as she held her magic sphere tight.

"Perfect time to test this out, then!" Chihiro exclaimed before she turned to Persephone and Calliope, "You two stay hidden, I'll—"

Persephone only shook her head and flew to Chihiro's side.

"Young honorable Chihiro, please let me dance alongside you in battle," Persephone asked as she stared at Chihiro with a shimmer of seriousness in her bright red eyes, "These monsters have brought much unhappiness among my people. I cannot let their actions go unpunished."

Chihiro bit her lip as she looked back at Persephone. Persephone seemed… Kind of different, right now, like the playful mask she had donned had finally dropped.

"Very well." Chihiro nodded and ushered Persephone along, "Calliope, stay hidden. We'll take care of these goons!"

Calliope only nodded, then took further sanctuary behind a thickets of bushes with no leaves.

Once Calliope had hidden herself, Chihiro and Persephone nodded towards each other. With a mighty cry of battle, the two of them leaped out into the open!

There, past the front of the hut they had hidden behind, tons of troll and goblin soldiers dressed in bulky-looking armor and equipped with fancy weapons searched all around the premise. But with her powers back, they seemed a lot less intimidating to Chihiro. She could definitely take these guys!

"Thought you could hide forever, did you?" Crooned the commander as he twirled his mustache.

"I wouldn't call it that," Chihiro corrected as she shook her head, a small smile on her face, "More like preparing for battle!"

"HAH! HAH, HAH, HAH!" The commander cackled to the heavens then shot Chihiro an amused glance, "That's me, laughing at your overconfidence! With this no-sell spell, you're both chompies in a barrel!"

The commander than pointed towards Chihiro and Persephone. "Guards, get them!"

The guards all perked up, almost as if they were of one mind, then stormed all around Chihiro and Persephone! With how many there were, there was no clear escape path to be seen… But, Chihiro didn't come here to run, she came here to _fight_!

"You ready, Persephone?" Chihiro asked as she crafted a sword out of magic and turned to Persephone.

"Indeed, young honorable Chihiro," Persephone replied as she cast another swirl of magic and watched it solidify into a shiny blue handheld ribbon, like the kind one used in a dance class.

The two of them looked at each other, nodded once, then turned back to the massive amounts of soldiers before them.

"THEN LET'S KICK SOME BUTT!"

Chihiro grasped her magic sword tight and slashed it right at the guards that had charged her! As they all flew back into the rubble and wreckage, Chihiro tossed her sword to the air and shot it with a beam of magic energy that caused it to grow at least five times its size! As the sword dropped back into her grasp, Chihiro grunted and lunged it over her head. Then, with one powerful swing she slammed it down onto the ground and created a huge shockwave! While the shockwave sent the soldiers around onto their feet, she only smirked and blew off her sword.

"Man, it feels good to actually put up a fight," Chihiro remarked as the sword disappeared and she wiped off her hands.

"Now it's my turn!" Persephone proclaimed as she flitted forwards.

Persephone swirled the ribbon in the air with a dancer's grace, then as her eyes narrowed she cracked it as if it was a whip! Its silky-looking surface turned deadly as it wrapped around a number of tall trolls, then sent them spinning into the soldiers that Chihiro had incapacitated moments earlier!

The trolls and soldiers collided in one big crash! Stray helmets and weapons flew into the distance as the soldiers landed in a tired heap on top of each other and scattered dust all across the ghost town's paths.

Chihiro and Persephone both smiled and high-fived, but the shadows that cast over them reminded them of one key detail—the battle was far from won!

Chihiro grunted as a goliath of a goblin tried to punch her, but she merely ducked under their punch! She backflipped out of the way and kicked the goblin's arm back in the process, then tapped her heels and watched as magical wings formed on the base of her boots. She clapped her hands, and magical boxing gloves formed around them! Now it was time to have some fun!

Chihiro leaped forward as the goblin shook their head and charged right towards her with its chest pushed out. Big mistake, buddy! As soon as she got in range, Chihiro let loose a rapid fire barrage of punches straight to the gut! While the goblin groaned and shouted, Chihiro raised her right fist, watched as the glove around it grew twice its prior size, then hit the goblin with a punch so great it sent it and its teeth flying!

"Ew, teeth!" Chihiro grunted as she dodged an over-sized fang and watched it fly away, "Does this guy even brush?"

Chihiro yelped and ducked as a spinning blade soared just inches above her head, then popped back up as she heard a cackle. Aside from her, a skinnier troll soldier chuckled as they flung the blades right at Chihiro!

"So that's how you wanna play, huh?" Chihiro exclaimed as she clapped her hands and watched her boxing gloves disappear, "How about you have a taste of your own medicine?"

Chihiro pushed her hands in front of her body, then watched as a gigantic magic shield manifested in front of her! The blades bounced right off of the shield, then spun right back towards the troll soldier! The soldier screamed in terror as their blades were turned against them, then tried to run off… Only to trip on their own two feet and fall flat on their face! The soldier tried to stagger up, but was trampled behind the feet of their fellow soldiers before they could even get an inch off of the ground!

And why were those soldiers running in such a hurry, one may ask? Well… The gigantic magical bowling ball that sped after them were certainly an answer!

Persephone laughed so loud even the birds in the skies above could probably hear her as she sent gigantic bowling balls rolling down the beaten dirt paths!

"Goodness!" Persephone exclaimed as she spun in the air and clapped her hands, "I haven't had this much fun in ages!"

"And better yet, it looks like most of those goons are gone!" Chihiro remarked as she scanned the area then turned back to Persephone, "Looks like we can finally get out of here!"

"Not so fast, you!" Proclaimed a sickeningly familiar shrill voice.

Persephone and Chihiro both turned and looked around in search of the voice…

Only for something to slam into Chihiro and push her down the way! Chihiro dug her heels into the ground and growled as something squeezed her arm, then looked up to find that the commander held her tight! Chihiro's eyes widened as she dug her heels further and tried to yank herself out of grasp. However, it was to no luck—he had her tight in his grasp!

"Forgetting someone?" The commander scoffed as a pair of mechanical arms emerged from the back of his armor and turned the power dials on his gloves, "Normally I wouldn't stoop so low as to deal with prisoners myself, but you've been a special kind of thorn in my side!"

As the commander's armor grew a brighter glow of blue, he smirked and tossed Chihiro right into a pile of rubble! Chihiro cried out in pain as her back was pierced by the sharp bits of rock and glass, then coughed as she tried to pull herself out. However, the sudden pain was such a sock to her body, it was like she couldn't even move a muscle! All she could do was fall back into the wreckage.

"Chihiro!" Persephone called as she went to fly after Chihiro… Only for the commander to teleport right behind her and grab her shoulder!

"Not so fast, missy!" The commander exclaimed as he yanked Persephone back, "You're coming with me!"

Persephone grunted, then spun out of his grasp and crafted a firm shield out of magic. However, it seems like it wasn't firm enough, because the commander shattered it with only a single punch! Persephone gasped as he smirked over the remains of her broken shield, then flew over the rubble pile in a frantic flit.

"Young honorable Chihiro, wake up!" Persephone urged as she pulled Chihiro out of the rubble pile.

Chihiro grunted as she shook her head and pulled herself to her feet. Looks like she'd have to take care of this dude, then! Once her feet fell back on the earth, Chihiro dashed forward and glazed over the commander. His back was turned, and he was completely vulnerable to attacks!

So, she shot a magic blast straight at him… But he only turned around and shot it into the dead woods with a simple smack of his hand.

"Thought you could pull a fast one on me, did you?" The commander asked as he watched the sphere fly into the woods.

With a chuckle, he spun a dial on his suit, then held up a metallic, gloved palm which charged with cyan magical energy. "Well, you've got another thing coming!"

The palm glowed so bright that it was like it could barely contain the magic within it anymore, then a gigantic blue beam of energy shot straight at a wide-eyed Chihiro and Persephone!

Thankfully enough, Chihiro was quick to jump to her feet and create a shield… But even that wasn't enough! The beam only seared a hole straight through the shield and shot it to pieces, with Chihiro and Persephone forced to duck! When the beam faded, Chihiro pulled herself back to her feet… Only to lurch over while unrelated exhaustion seared through her body. No doubt about it, that spell was probably going to wear off soon—she needed to think fast!

So, in what she could only assume would be her last minutes of power, Chihiro grabbed Persephone's hand and teleported away! In moments, the blue light that ensnared her relented and showed that she was now behind their hut hiding place, with Calliope close by!

"Come on, we've gotta get out of here!" Chihiro exclaimed as she squeezed a shocked Calliope's hand.

Chihiro teleported again, and this time found herself back on track to her former battlefield! She gritted her teeth, then bolted down into a path flanked with rotted tree trunks. Though they were all rotted and split and dead, this dead forest could at least give them some kind of cover, right? Chihiro's heart beat so fast that she could practically pass out as she whipped around and rolled behind a particularly large broken tree trunk.

While Persephone and Calliope collected themselves, Chihiro made herself as small as possible… Oh god, she could hear stomping. _Lots _of stomping. Had they found her already?

"Where'd they go?" Asked a tough voice close to where she was.

"I thought I saw them run down here…" Replied another, slightly lower voice, "But I don't see a lick of 'em anywhere!"

"Must've seen things." The first voice cleared their throat, "ATTENTION! EVERYONE, GO BACK AND SEARCH THE PERIMETER AGAIN! WE CAN'T LET THEM ESCAPE!"  
"UNDERSTOOD!"

As the sound of stomping grew further in the distance, Chihiro paused and held her rapidly-beating heart. Man, she had been chased by bad guys before… But those chases were never this intense!

Well, whatever, there was no use dwelling on it now. Now that she was mostly in the clear, she had to find the others… Crap! Chihiro delved closer into the tree trunk and peered out one of its holes as a goblin soldier came close by, its jaw slack as it sniffed the air… Then the soldier growled.

"I smell meat," it grumbled as it lurched across the way, "Where is it?"

Persephone and Calliope both gasped as the scrambled further into the trunk… Only for Calliope to yelp as something grabbed her by her mist trail! Calliope dug her hands into the dead earth in some vain attempt to resist, but she sadly wasn't strong enough. The soldier yanked her out of the hollow and pinched the scruff of her jacket.

"Well, well, lookie here," the soldier sneered as it held a struggling Calliope even tighter, "A little fairy flying around where she shouldn't!"

"Calliope!" Chihiro exclaimed as she scrambled out of the trunk and glared at the soldier, her fists furled and eyes enraged with fire, "Put her down!"

However the soldier only frowned and flicked Chihiro back into the trunk!

"Come on, you!" The soldier stormed off and grinned, "You're going back to the extraction facility—"

"NO!" Calliope screamed at last as she slapped the soldier's face, her hand aglow with purple magic once more!

Then… Something strange happened, to say the least. Out of nowhere the soldier grew unfocused and dizzy, while his legs trembled so badly that it was like the strength had been completely drained from him!

"Ugh, I don't feel so good…" The soldier groaned as he stumbled about in some pathetic effort to regain his balance.

While the soldier groaned, Chihiro shook her head and smiled—now was her chance! With a grunt, she fell to all fours, shot herself towards the soldier and headbutted him right in the back!

With a pained shout, the soldier took a few shaky steps forward then fell flat on his face!

Calliope managed to wriggle out of his grasp just in time to watch him fall, while a dizzy Chihiro did the same. Chihiro's vision could barely focus thanks to the onset of pain that came from headbutting a heavily-armored person, but she was sure that Calliope's pendant was… Glowing, all of a sudden? Chihiro shook her head and took a better look at the pendant, but by then the glow had faded. Maybe it was just the dizziness, who knew?

"Calliope, your pendant..." Persephone remarked as she flitted closer to Calliope, "It's... Glowing!"

Welp, guess Chihiro wasn't the only one to notice that.

"Oh, yeah, it does that," Calliope warbled as she held up the pendant, like she was taken aback that anyone noticed, "It's, er, it was a birthday present from my mothers. It's one of those nice ones that glows sometimes, you know?"—Calliope rubbed her thumb against the crystal while its glow faded completely—"I never leave home without it. It's like my good luck charm."

Whatever that pendant was, Chihiro put it aside as she stumbled over to the soldier, then fell down to her knees and poked his arm a couple times. When he didn't stir, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on," Chihiro said as she pulled herself to her feet and held out her hands, "We can't stay here forever. More of them might come back and find us."

With understanding nods, Persephone and Calliope both grabbed onto one of Chihiro's hands while Persephone's hands flared blue and made Chihiro feel a bit stronger than before. Once Chihiro had their hands firm in her grasp, she closed her eyes and felt herself get whooshed away in a flare of magic…

§

Camo frowned and rubbed his chin as he, Stump Smash and Zook prodded further into the forest. Just what was going on with them? Ever since they got here, they kept going from being buddy-buddy to wanting to bite each others' heads off and back again just from one look! What had gotten into them?

That was the question of the day as Camo reflected on their past fights. There had to be something controlling them—after all, Zook was normally super laid back and not one to pick unnecessary fights, and while Stump Smash was the type to hold a grudge, it was never to this extent! But what could it possibly be?…

Camo frowned as he racked his brain, then a part of his mind drifted back to the strange flower they had seen when they first arrived. Their arguments hadn't gotten _really _bad until after they got spritzed by that flower… What even was it, anyways? Unfortunately, Camo wasn't as well-versed in flowers as he was fruits and vegetables…

"WILL YOU KNOCK IT OFF WITH THAT RACKET?" Stump Smash demanded as he shook a fist at Zook, "I can't hear myself think!"

A shame, really, cause knowing about those flowers would sure come in hand right now.

"What, you mean this?" Zook asked as he started to whistle a tune as loudly and obnoxiously as he could.

"Yes, that!" Stump Smash gritted his teeth and placed his hands over his… lack of ears, "You'll get the entire forest here with all that noise!"

Zook just went back to whistling, but even louder this time—much to the disdain of both Camo and Stump Smash. Before they could start anything else, however, Camo promptly turned Stump Smash around and grunted.

"… What was I just talking about?" Stump Smash asked as he stared into space.

The fight now thankfully ended, Camo hopped along and smiled. Maybe he shouldn't be worrying so much about how this started, but rather how to fix it! Yeah, maybe a nice prank would get them back in high spirits… After all, a nice exploding watermelon always made him forget about what made him mad!

"CAMO, LOOK OUT!" Stump Smash cried at a volume so loud it caused flocks of birds to flee from the still-standing trees.

… On second thought, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. They seemed mad enough that even a silly little prank would probably make their heads explode! Camo looked down at his paws as he contemplated further… Then something yanked him back!

"Stump Smash?" Camo cried as he turned around and found himself in Stump Smash's arms, "What was that for? Lemme go!"

Camo squirmed and struggled against Stump Smash's grasp, but unfortunately for Camo, Stump Smash was far too strong! Stump Smash grunted, then pulled Camo back as a gigantic tree trunk crashed down on the area ahead!

"I don't know how you missed the giant chainsaw right ahead of you, Camo, but they've got one stationed right ahead of us!" Stump Smash scolded as he let Camo go and gestured ahead, "You're lucky I saw it in time!"

Camo winced and looked ahead, where a gigantic chainsaw wreaked havoc as it spun around and tore down every tree in its midst! How in Skylands did he miss that? Well, no use contemplating it right now. Camo jumped out of the way as the chainsaw sent a flurry of broken branches and wood chips his way, then dashed under the sanctuary of a particularly big mushroom.

Stump Smash and Zook followed Camo under the mushroom soon enough, then all of them paused to take a breath.

"Phew, made it out just in time," Camo said as he wiped his forehead and looked around, "We'll need to find some way to bust up that chainsaw if we wanna get any further…"—Camo stopped and rubbed his chin—"But what?"

All three of them hummed in contemplation, minds abuzz like the insects that flitted in panic around them.

"Yeah, I've got nothing," Stump Smash sighed as he looked up at Camo.

"Me neither," Zook added.

"That makes three of us," Camo sighed as he turned around and examined the mushroom's stalk, "Maybe if we uproot this mushroom and tie a bunch of chili—"

"Wait, is that a rocket?"

Camo pricked up his ears as he heard Zook's voice, then turned around and looked towards a particularly tall tree stump ahead… Which, sure enough, had a gigantic rocket arched over its side!

"That's it!" Camo exclaimed as he pounded a fist against his paw, "We've just gotta fire that rocket and we'll be good as golden apples!"

Camo took one step outside, just to see if there was some kind of stair or something on the stump itself, but all he found were stampedes of trolls as they flooded into the area! He had to hide behind a stray fallen branch just to avoid getting caught!

"Crap, there's a lot of these guys…" Camo winced and dashed back under the mushroom, his eyes fixed on Stump Smash and Zook once more, "Alright, here's the plan!"

Camo pointed to Stump Smash with one bright red toe.

"Stump Smash, you'll keep those trolls occupied." Camo moved his toe towards Zook, "And while he's keeping them busy, Zook, you'll create a bamboo plant that'll lift me to the rocket! Any questions?"

"Yeah, I've got one!" Zook said as he raised his hand, then turned Stump Smash as his eyes gained a red glow, "Why do I have to work with him?"

"Likewise!" Stump Smash scowled as he glared back at Zook, his own eyes bright red as well.

Camo just groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"The faster we get this done, the faster you guys can get out of each other's rroots. How's that?"

Stump Smash and Zook both huffed but nonetheless pulled themselves off the floor.

"Fine," Zook receded.

"Let's just get this over with," Stump Smash grumbled as he stormed off.

Camo couldn't help but worry as he saw them both storm off, but it was better than nothing. Sp, Camo nonetheless hopped off and led Zook to the rocket's platform.

And while they did that, Stump Smash trained his eyes on the trolls, who all crowded around the currently-disabled chainsaw with lunches in hand… But not for long!

"DROP THE HAMMER!" Stump Smash screamed as he stormed into their break area and pounded on the ground with all the strength he could muster!

The trolls all yelped and dropped their sandwiches as shockwaves burst through the area, then broke into panic as they finally caught sight of Stump Smash! Their forks and knives traded for guns and maces, the trolls all charged towards Stump Smash… Only to get mowed down by gigantic chestnuts!

Camo and Zook, meanwhile, quietly crept away from the crowds, though with all the noise Camo couldn't help but take a peek back… And smile when he saw that the trolls were completely preoccupied!

"Coast's clear!" Camo whispered as he turned back and gave Zook a toes up

Zook returned his smile with a nod, then crept up to the rocket's stump and placed his hand on the ground. The earth rumbled beneath his fingertips for a few moments, and from one press of his hand came an entire platform comprised of tightly-knit bamboo stalks.

"Hop on!" Zook whispered as he ushered Camo on the platform.

Camo did just that, and in response Zook placed both hands on the platform. Slowly, but surely, the bamboo platform grew taller and taller, while the rocket grew closer and closer in sight…

But what Camo didn't notice was that as the platform grew, Zook had his eyes trained on Stump Smash's battle! Stump Smash himself seemed to be doing quite well… But while Stump Smash was pounding away at several larger trolls, a couple smaller trolls had sneaked straight past him!

"Crap, I'd better warn him!" Zook winced, then jumped away from the bamboo platform and waved towards Stump Smash, "Stump Smash, look out! Those trolls are getting away!"

Stump Smash thankfully heard Zook, judging by the way Stump Smash had turned around and knocked the tinier trolls out with a couple perfectly-timed chestnuts… But the moment he caught sight of Zook, he forget about the trolls and stormed over!

"I don't need you to tell me that, Zook!" Stump Smash shouted as he shook a fist, his eyes a crimson red in color.

"Hey man, I was only trying to warn you!" Zook winced and backed up a couple steps. What got Stump Smash in such a…

The moment Stump Smash had grown close enough to be seen, Zook felt his whole body shudder from anger while his vision turned red! What was Stump Smash complaining about? Who knows what those trolls would have done if he hadn't been warned?!

"Maybe next time..." Zook snarled and crossed his arms, his whole heart full of rage, "I'll let them beat you up!"

Stump Smash didn't seem to take this kindly (not that he was supposed to, anyhow) and spat out some kind of insult that only made Zook's sap boil! In fact, it made Zook angry he completely blacked out from rage when he heard it!

But while Stump Smash and Zook traded insults, they seemed to have forgotten one important thing… Camo! Camo stumbled back as the bamboo platform came to a sudden halt, then winced as it began going down!

"Uh, Zook, we've got a problem here!" Camo shouted as he looked down the lofty bamboo leaves, "Zook?"

But, Zook apparently didn't hear Camo—because he was more invested in his latest spat with Stump Smash! Oh no, not this again! Looks like Camo was on his own now… So, Camo pounded his paws against the bamboo platforms and watched as they were completely enveloped in a green glow!

The bamboo platform began growing faster, and faster, and faster and faster… Wait, maybe a little too fast! Before Camo even knew it, the platform he stood on shot into the heavens and tossed Camo right into the air, well past his intended target!

"WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Camo screamed as he crashed down close to the stump… And by some miracle, grabbed onto the stump's side with one paw!

But, one paw was far from enough to carry his entire weight, and he could already feel his grip straining and slipping away! He winced as he tried to grab onto the side with his other paw… Then shouted out as his first paw's grip began to release!

"Zook, Stump Smash!" Camo called as he struggled to pull himself back on top of the platform, "Help!"

Down below, Stump Smash and Zook both saw red as they argued… Only for Stump Smash to freeze and draw back, as if he had heard something! He took one look above, then gasped and turned back to Zook!

"Zook, you know what?" Stump Smash exclaimed as his eyes flashed between red and their usual yellow, "Forget about this!"

"Why should I?" Zook demanded as he stepped forward, "I—"

Stump Smash, however, paid no mind to Zook's words, and instead turned Zook's direction upwards to show him…

"CAMO!" Stump Smash and Zook called in unison as they saw Camo lose his grip and fall off the platform!

In mere moments, their argument was completely forgotten as they dashed off to where Zook's bamboo had receded!

While Camo crashed down like a comet, Stump Smash and Zook looked towards each other and nodded. Stump Smash pounded the earth underneath Zook with a force so mighty, it sent Zook hurtling well above them! Zook soared in the air for what seemed like forever, then as he grew inches away from Camo he reached out his arms and snatched Camo in his grasp!

"Got'cha, little buddy!" Zook chirped as he shot a hand underneath and cast a bamboo platform below them. Zook chuckled as he hopped onto its soft leaves, then stood and let Camo crawl out of his arms.

Stump Smash, meanwhile, jumped onto the bamboo platform as it finally reached his height and beamed—but only for a few seconds.

"You need to be more careful!" Stump Smash scolded as he gently bonked Camo on the head, "You had me worried there for a second!"

"I will, I will," Camo said as he smiled and rolled his eyes, "But first, let's take care of that chainsaw!"

So, Zook knelt down and placed his hands on the leafy top of the bamboo platform, which in turn caused it to grow once more. As they rode to the top, Camo took a gaze back at Zook and Stump Smash.

"You alright, Camo?" Zook smiled as the bamboo slowly lifted past the earth, "There's a lot of ways to fly, but I'm pretty sure that's not the safest one!"

"Thanks to you!" Camo sighed and wiped his forehead, "For a moment, I thought I was gonna be one flat watermelon!"

"Well, I can't take ALL the credit!" Zook looked aside and scratched the top of his head, "After all, Stumpy was the one who realized! And if he wasn't there to send me up top…"

"Wait." Camo blinked a few times in disbelief, "You two actually worked together?"

"Of course we did!" Stump Smash said as he looked towards Zook… Then his eyes went red.

"But I did the hard part, of course!"

"Hey, you can't take all the credit!" Zook shot back as he looked to Stump Smash with red eyes, "I was the one who actually saved him!"

"So much for them being back to normal," Camo whispered as his face fell to solemn disappointment.

Camo rolled his eyes, then looked to his side to see that they had arrived at the stump's top! So, he hopped off the platform and left them to bicker. For now, he'd just take care of the rocket… But before he can, something grabbed him by the back of his neck and flung him aside!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Camo grunted as he crashed into Zook and Stump Smash, "Oof!"

All three of them pulled themselves back to their feet, right as something echoed around the room… Cackling? But from where? Footsteps intermingled with the cackling as troll soldiers crowded around the ground below, then… A cloud of dark green smoke appeared out of nowhere, right in front of them!

"There you are, Skylanders!" Cried a venomously, sharp voice as the smoke began to clear, which revealed… Stealth Elf? Well, Stealth Elf if she stepped into a vat of purple and dark green paint, anyways.

It had the same body and basic appearance of Stealth Elf, but it seemed like its entirety was made of dark purple magic with visible veins of green. Its blank white eyes could pierce daggers into one's soul… Assuming the sharp blades it held close by weren't the first to do so.

All around it, troll soldiers manifested from puffs of green smoke, while the sound of stampeding implied that this was only the beginning.

"I've been looking for you!" The evil Stealth Elf hissed.

Camo, Stump Smash and Zook only stared with wide eyes, then stormed forward and growled.

"The Evil Elf Ninja!" They all called at once.

§

Cali grunted as she popped off the air vent's grid and poked her head out the hole it provided. Her eyes scanned the premises for a few moments, then she turned back to the others still behind her.

"The coast is clear, everyone!" Cali exclaimed as she crawled out of the vent, "Just a bunch of dying forest."

Cali rested against the twisted trunk of a dead tree as she watched the Skylanders crawl out the vent and rest on the dry, broken earth.

"That was close," Stealth Elf sighed as she brushed sweat from her forehead, "We barely made it out of there with our lives!"

"No kidding," Spyro agreed as he sat up and shook his head.

Hex, however, spoke no words. She only made a somber look as she pulled out a skull and brushed its smooth, bony cranium.

Double Trouble toyed with the feathers on his staff, an equally-solemn look on his face. Finally, he perked up and said something with his eyes gazed on Spyro.

"Am I worried about the others?" Spyro repeated with a tilt of his head, "Well…"—Spyro hung his head for a bit then pulled it back up—"Yeah, I kind of am. But, I know they're gonna be fine!"

"You seem awfully calm about all this, Spyro," Stealth Elf noted as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. Chihiro's with them, after all." Spyro turned around and fixed his eyes on the bushes, "She's gotten herself out of some tough spots before. I'm sure she can get through this one."

Spyro then walked into the forest. "Anyways, we should probably get going. I'm sure they're waiting on us."

The others turned to each other and made weak smiles, perhaps put somewhat at ease by Spyro's calmness and confidence. As Spyro trailed deeper into the dead forest, the others followed close behind with their eyes trained for any sort of danger. With most of the foliage being dead and withered, it left very few options for hiding, so they had to stay on guard.

The only sounds heard were that of their footsteps as they pawed against the dead grass and frail pebbles… And something that sounded like faint crying?

Spyro frowned as he perked up and looked around.

"Do you hear that?" Spyro asked as he turned to Hex, who only nodded in response.

Double Trouble looked up as well, then nudged Stealth Elf with his staff and spoke to her.

"You're right, it does sound like crying!" Stealth Elf remarked as ears twitched, "But from where?…"

"I think it's coming from over here!" Cali exclaimed as she pushed aside a few dead bushes and prodded ahead.

As the Skylanders followed Cali, the scenery slowly started to change! The dead foliage had slowly sprung back to life, the grass a bit healthier and the trees with maybe about a quarter of what their leaves should've been. Even the dead bushes were covered in leaf buds.

"Hello?" Cali shouted as she cupped her hands around her mouth, "Is anybody here?"

"Over there!" Spyro proclaimed as he flew towards a large bush and pushed past the leaves.

Beyond that large bush was a beautiful, beautiful grove! Its trees had rich brown trunks and bright green leaves that brought summer to mind, its grassy fields were dotted with small flowers, and the bushes all rustled with life in their branches.

And in the center of it all… Was a sobbing fairy!

This fairy appeared to be a young woman with deathly pale skin, her face covered by her hands to presumably hide her sobs. Her hair was a rich, dark green striped with gold and kept in a long, loose ponytail with its top in a vaguely flowerlike shape, and she wore a white tunic decorated with elaborate green and gold patterns. Golden bangles decorated with emeralds cut to look like leaves hung from skinny wrists while colorful rings adorned her fingers, her harlequin green and light gold wings were folded together, and her fog tail legs were a rich, spring green streaked with a light gold color. She looked like something out of a picture, and a somber one at that.

It almost seemed like she'd cry forever as her tears poured down her face and causes flowers to manifest all around her… Until she stirred and looked back up at Spyro.

"NO!" The fairy wailed, her voice hoarse from crying as she scrambled away from Spyro, "PLEASE, DON'T TAKE ME BACK! DON'T TAKE ME TO THE AWFUL PLACE!"

"Wait, wait, it's alright! We're not gonna hurt you!" Spyro exclaimed as he stumbled over the bush and followed after the fairy, "We're the Skylanders, and we came her with Queen Persephone!"

"Skylanders?" The fairy woman stopped short, "Lady Persephone?"

"Yep!" Spyro nodded his head.

The fairy wiped her tears, then turned around to Spyro and revealed her face with its golden eyes flecked with green and button nose.

"Thank goodness!" The fairy exclaimed as she launched forward and squeezed Spyro tight, "I thought I'd never live to see the day you'd arrive!"

The fairy then let go of Spyro, took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"My name is Aura," Aura said as she rested a hand on her heart, "My apologies for my outburst earlier."

"It's alright," Cali interjected as she hopped over the bush and sat before Aura, "Tell me, Aura,"—Cali made a grave stare as she rested her hands on her knees—"What happened here?"

Aura trembled, the blood now drained from her already quite pale face which made her akin to a ghost.

"Oh, it was awful!" Aura bit her lip, "Kaos had stormed our kingdom and stole away Lady Persephone when she refused to ally with him! And after that…"

Small tears rolled down Aura's cheeks.

"He decided that if we wouldn't ally ourselves with him, he'd make us. We tried our best to stop him, but our armies were no match! Not only did he conquer our kingdom…" Aura shuddered, then shook her head, "But he put that awful Commander Ebonyomen in charge of it!"

"Commander Ebonyomen?" Cali sucked her lip.

"Oh, that awful man!" Aura shook her head as tears rolled down her face, "He turned Lady Persephone's castle into a gigantic magic plant! Then, he started taking away fairies and draining all their magic, all to power Kaos's forces! And that's not even the worst of it!"

Aura had broken down into sobs as she buried herself in Cali's arms, then pulled herself away and wiped her tears.

"When he, when he drains their magic…" Aura turned away and pressed her hands against her heart, "He drains ever last bit, until their very souls are no more!"

Gasps erupted all around as Aura broke down once more.

"That's awful!" Cali exclaimed as she held Aura tight and wiped away Aura's tears, "We have to stop this guy!"

"Indeed," Hex broke in at last as she passed through the bushes, "Where is this castle located?"

"That's the problem! Even if you could reach it, there's little chance of stopping him," Aura croaked as she bit her lip, "The castle is the most guarded part of the entire kingdom! And—"

Aura's words were completely drowned out by the screeching wail of sirens and the intense pound of feet!

Everybody ducked behind the foliage, then Spyro crawled forwards and peered through the bushes.

There through the hole he had created were what appeared to be three beefy soldiers, all circled around each other. Though they appeared to be talking to each other, their voices were so low that no words could be made out from their conversation!

"Whatever happens," said one soldier as the huddle split apart, "Remember the objective. Find those fairies and that portal master, and deliver them to the castle!"

"RIGHT!" Shouted the other two as they all ran away.

Spyro made a sharp gasp as he closed up the hole and turned back to the others.

"Did you hear that? They're looking for fairies and a portal master!" Spyro asked as his eyes sparkled bright, "They made it out! Now we just have to find them!"

Hex and Double Trouble both nodded, then stood up and raised hand and staff alike to the skies. As they began chanting, their raised appendages glistened with magic… Only to fizz out immediately. The two of them made confused glances as the magic faded, only for their faces to fall as they examined their hands.

"Oh, that's right," Hex said as she let her hands rest at her side, "That spell keeps us from performing any magic."

Double Trouble said something with a vaguely concerned tone towards Hex.

"Looks like we aren't performing any invisibility spells today." Hex made a grave nod.

"Well then," Stealth Elf interjected as she popped up from a cloud of smoke, "Looks like it's time for the good old-fashioned way."

"Old-fashioned way?" Everybody else repeated.

Stealth Elf nodded, then jumped right into work! She dashed around bushes, climbed up trees, grabs rocks and handfuls of dirt from the ground, and more! And most impressively, all of this was done at such a rapid speed that it was almost like there was three of her!

When she finally came to a stop, Stealth Elf turned around and presented herself. Her head was covered by a hat of bushy leaves, and her body a cape made of the same material with rocks to bind everything together while streaks of dirt covered her face.

"Hopefully this should disguise us well enough." Stealth Elf gathered more materials then walked up to the others, "Come on, we've got no time to lose!"

Stealth Elf jumped from person to person as she applied dirt to faces, covers of leaves to their bodies and all sorts of natural camouflage! By all accounts, everybody looked a bit like forest monsters when she was done… But sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do.

"Now." Stealth Elf trailed forward and beckoned for the others to follow, "Follow me!"

Everybody slowly crept over the bushes, then fell to the hands and knees as they crawled through the forest. The foliage was slowly faded, as if everything around them seemed to die the more they passed through, but for now there was enough to act as a decent cover.

Aura ducked under her camouflage cape and flinched as the sound of stomping echoed from ahead… Then stopped, peeped her head and smiled!

"Nobody saw us," Aura whispered as she placed a hand over her heart, "Thank goodness!"

"That's what camouflage does," Stealth Elf remarked as she lifted up a large branch and ushered everybody through.

Everybody else passed one by one through the makeshift tunnel Stealth Elf had created, then finally Stealth Elf herself crawled through and dropped the branch back down.

The entire scenery around had finally withered completely. All that could be found was miles of dead trees and even deader leaves and grass that crunched underneath their feet. Thank goodness there seemed to be nobody around, at least! The forest seemed infinite as they crawled up logs, sneaked around broken trees and climbed up gigantic rocks… Was there no end to all this?

"Hey, wait a second!" Cali exclaimed as she climbed up a rock and shielded her eyes, "I think I see something up ahead!"

Spyro flew up to her side and followed her vision.

Sure enough, the forest had completely parted and vanished, now morphed into alleyways flanked by broken houses in utter disrepair! Not the prettiest sight, but hey, it was a sign they were out of the woods!

Spyro and Cali both hopped off the rock, then everybody dashed into the alleyways and rested against the sides of the broken houses.

"Okay, we're out of there," Stealth Elf remarked as she crossed her arms, "But now what do we do?"—Stealth Elf peered across at the stretch of alleyway—"Without any forest, we'd stick out like sore thumbs!"

_"Persephone, Calliope, over here!"_

Spyro jolted his head up as he broke into a wide smile.

"I don't think we have to!" He exclaimed as he pointed a claw back to the distance, "Look!"

Heavy panting and light footsteps were just barely heard a three very familiar figures rounded the corner and stopped to catch their breaths—Chihiro, Persephone and Calliope!

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro called as he waved over to Chihiro.

Chihiro popped her head up and turned around, then dashed over to Spyro and tackled him in a tight hug!

"You're alright!" Spyro and Chihiro exclaimed in unison as they squeezed each other and broke into relieved laughter. As the two of them released their hug, Chihiro smiled and plucked the leaf hat off of Spyro's head.

"What's up with the fashion?" Chihiro teased as she licked her finger and wiped the dirt from Spyro's face, "Latest trends?"

"_Camouflage_, thank you very much," Stealth Elf interrupted as she took off her leaf hat and released her cape.

While the sound of flitting wings drew near, Aura turned around… Then broke into happy tears as she dashed forward.

"LADY PERSEPHONE!" Aura sobbed as she bolted into Persephone's arms and hugged her tight.

"Aura!" Persephone croaked as she reciprocated Aura's hug, "This truly is a lucky day!"

"Wait…" Cali said as she pointed towards Aura and Persephone, "You two know each other?"

"Indeed," Persephone replied as she let go of Aura and nodded her head, "Aura is one of my dearest retainers. She's my organizer, party planner, and most importantly..."—Persephone turned to Aura and made a kind gaze—"The luckiest thing that ever happened to me!"

"Apologies for not telling you earlier," Aura replied as she scratched the back of her head and blushed.

Everybody huddled together as they chattered and caught up with each other, and for a moment the mission that loomed over them and all the trouble that had happened prior was completely forgotten! In that moment, they were all just happy to see each other safe and sound.

"So, anyways," Spyro said as he stood up and wiped the rest of the dirt from his face, "What happened to you?"

Chihiro winced and looked away.

"Long story short, we ended up in a prison break before we were even in prison…" Chihiro replied before her eyes lit up, "BUT! I did find out something important!"

Chihiro gestured towards Persephone.

"That no-sell spell doesn't affect fairy magic! When Persephone powered me up for our little jailbreak, my magic worked perfectly fine!"

"REALLY?" Spyro beamed wider than ever, "That's great news! Now that we know this…"—Spyro turned his gaze towards everyone around—"We can finally figure out how to stop all this nonsense!"

So, Spyro ushered everybody in close.

"Alright, Aura?" Spyro called as he turned his attention towards Aura, "Where exactly is the castle?"

Aura squeezed her hands, then looked towards Spyro with a new kind of fire in her eyes.

"Well…"

§

Camo, Zook and Stump Smash all stepped back as the Evil Elf Ninja drew closer.

"Well, well, well," The Evil Elf Ninja crooned as it kicked the rocket off of the stump, "What a surprise! The Skylanders, here to ruin our hard work!"

"What are you doing here?!" Camo growled as he snarled, his leafy scales on edge like a cat's.

"Isn't it obvious?" The Evil Elf Ninja shrugged, then made a snicker as it held its hand to its mask, "Then again, with brains your size I wouldn't expect it to be!"

The Evil Elf Ninja cleared its throat.

"I'm here to keep you from getting the Eternal Life Source!" The Evil Elf Ninja cracked its knuckles, "After all, I promise Lord Kaos the Source, and I intend to deliver!"

Stump Smash gritted his teeth, then shouted out as he lunged forward and tried to smack the Evil Elf Ninja down! But, before he could even graze it, it merely vanished in a murky puff of green smoke!

"Sorry, woody," The Evil Elf Ninja whispered as it reappeared behind Stump Smash and kicked him forward, "But you're too slow!"

Stump Smash cried out in pain as he was sent flying, then grunted as a muscular troll soldier caught him! Stump Smash, however, was not one to be easily stopped! In moments he hacked out a spiky chestnut and shot his captor aside, then went back to charging after the Evil Elf Ninja! The Evil Elf Ninja stood quiet and steely as Stump Smash charged after it, only to chuckle as it vanished once more! Stump Smash cried out as he skidded to a stop, then looked around to find that the Evil Elf Ninja had reappeared a ways off.

"Am I over here?"

The Evil Elf Ninja asked as it stroked its chin, then narrowed its eyes and vanished, this time with its voice dangerously close to Stump Smash's own position.

"Or over here?"

Another POOF resounded right in Stump Smash's eardrum while the Evil Elf Ninja vanishes and reappeared yet again.

"Or maybe around here?"

The Evil Elf Ninja was so fast, it had completely stumped Stump Smash! (No pun intended).

Stump Smash could only stand and turn around, his mouth wide in confusion as the Evil Elf Ninja kept vanishing and reappearing. And to make things even harder, every time it disappeared a completely identical clone of it was left in its steed! With all these copies mirroring everything the original and mocking him all the while, there was no way he could figure out which one to attack!

"OH, FORGET THIS!" Stump Smash exclaimed at last!

With a couple powerful hacks, Stump Smash coughed out a bunch of gigantic, spiny chestnuts that balled down towards the clones! These gigantic chestnuts rolled all around and knock out every single clone with a mighty crash!

Soon all that was left was the original Evil Elf Ninja, who only growled and disappeared while the chestnuts continued to roll all around.

And without any clones to knock out, however, those chestnuts went from helpful to harmful in no matter of time! Zook and Camo's eyes practically jumped out of their skulls as they watched a particularly large chestnut race towards them and split like bananas before it could ball them over!

"Watch it, dude!" Zook shouted as he dodged another chestnut, "Are you trying to knock me off too?"

Stump Smash turned around at the sound of Zook's voice, then… Oh no. Both of them locked eyes that soon flashed an antagonistic red, while their mouths quickly dipped into snarls.

"How about you knock it off!" Stump Smash demanded as he stormed towards Zook and shoved his face in Zook's own, "Unlike you, I'M actually fighting here!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Zook growled, then grabbed and loaded his bazooka, "We'll see about that!"

A couple pulls of the trigger, and Zook's missiles shot everywhere across their wooden battlefield! They not only blew the chestnuts Stump Smash had summoned to smithereens, but they sent the troll forces that had started to crowd around the stump running off! Unfortunately for Zook, however, a couple of those missiles got rerouted by a particularly strong breeze and came right his way! Both Zook and Stump Smash grabbed each other's shoulders and pulled themselves down below the missiles' trajectory just in time for those missiles to whiz past them and fly into the great unknown.

"Look where you're aiming, you loose cannon!" Stump Smash growled as he caught sight of Zook and scowled.

"You should look where you're standing!" Zook retorted as he pointed a finger towards Stump Smash.

"Guys, we're in the middle of a fight!" Camo reminded as he pushed them back and tried to move their vision away from each other, "Now's not the time!"

But while Camo tried to mediate once more, he didn't notice that the troll soldiers who had previously spectated had finally gotten bored of just watching! They started climbing up the tree, weapons at the ready and angry looks on their faces!

Camo gasped, then rushed forward and sent some watermelons to attack them with a quick stomp… But they were so heavily armored, the watermelons just bounced off and exploded in the sky!

"Okay," Camo winced as he dodged chunks of flying watermelon and stomped his back paws, "Let's try this then!"

The stomps he made echoed around the hollow forest and sent vines smashing out of the trunk! The vines were quick to shoot after the surprisingly-calm trolls… But the moment they came within the trolls' reach, they all froze and withered away!

Camo gasped as he watched his now completely dead vines fall on the battlefield, then looked up at the cackling troll soldiers… Whose armor now glowed a bright green!

"No way," Camo whispered as he further watched the armor's glow fade, "Their armor's immune to my plants!"

"You bet it is, you overgrown fern patch!" Hissed the Evil Elf Ninja!

Camo gasped and looked around for the voice's source, but he was too slow. Before he could find it, the Evil Elf Ninja found him and kicked him aside! Camo, in turn was thrown through the air, so taken aback that he couldn't even catch himself—he simply flew off the platform's side and disappeared into the distance!

"CAMO!" Stump Smash and Zook screamed as they looked away, their conflict completely forgotten as they chased after Camo…

But it was too late. They could only watched as he fell down and out of the distance. Their faces were full of grief as they reached out further for him, but then they caught one tiny glimpse of each other and…

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" They both accused as they pointed fingers towards each other, eyes glowing crimson and all that.

"How is this my fault?!" Stump Smash demanded as he stepped back, "You were the one who showed off your fancy gunwork instead of looking out for trouble!"

"I wouldn't have done it if you weren't trying to knock us all off with your stupid acorns!" Zook shot back with a snarled frown.

"THEY'RE CHESTNUTS!"

The two of them pushed their faces in further and growled at each other, but not for long. While they were absorbed in their bickering, something knocked them off the platform's side! Luckily, they realized quick enough what had happened and grasped onto the side of the stump, but unfortunately on their own they didn't have enough strength to pull themselves back on top.

"Well, well, well," The Evil Elf Ninja crooned as it stepped over and glared down Stump Smash and Zook, "Looks like my little trick worked splendidly~"

"What trick?" Zook repeated as he raised a confused eyebrow at the Evil Elf Ninja.

"You wouldn't happen to remember seeing a weird flower on your way in, would you?"

Both Stump Smash and Zook were completely silent as the realization hit them. That strange red flower they had saw when they arrived… It was some kind of trick?

"That flower was no ordinary flower, it's an Aniblossity! One whiff of its pollen, and it makes those too weak-willed unable to stand whoever they saw when they inhaled it!" The Evil Elf Ninja crossed its arms, "Oh, and did I mention that it only activates when it senses the anger of those around it?"

So fraught with shame and dawning realization, Stump Smash and Zook said no words. Rather, they took one last glimpse at each other as the memory of their earliest argument flashed through, then quickly looked away.

"That's right! Sulk all you want, it makes no difference! Either way you're falling to your deaths!"

Stump Smash and Zook's eyes widened as they struggled to pull themselves up… but before they could, the Evil Elf Ninja swiped them off with a kick of its feet! Their hands flew off the stump's side from the surge of pain, and all they could do was scream as they fell into the distance.

"Have a nice drop, Skylanders—not!"

The Evil Elf Ninja cackled, then turned back to the troll soldiers that watched its evil laughter.

"What are you standing around for? Get back to scouting out the Eternal Life Source!"

So, the soldiers saluted the Evil Elf Ninja and dispersed back into the forest…

* * *

**Author's fun fact: Aura is actually not an OC of mine, but rather a heavily redesigned and reimagined version of a companion from the now-defunct Skylanders Lost Islands app! The original Aura didn't have much in the way of personality and appearance wise was just Persephone but in a suit, so I spruced her up a bit for her appearance here!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter eighteen of CHS is here! What fate awaits our heroes, left in such intense positions the last chapter?... Well, I can't say that right now, can I?~**

**Greenswitch: Glad to hear you liked it! Actually, there's a little Easter egg in the disguises that I forgot to mention—in the Director's Cut version of the Skylanders: The Beginning trailer for Spyro's Adventure, there's a brief moment where Gill Grunt and Cynder fight a minion of Kaos's with a striking resemblance to Cali. I loosely based Cali's disguise off of that minion!**

**Watch Seeker: Yeah, I actually was thinking about that when I wrote that scene! Also, I never knew there was a specific term for male ninjas—guess you really do learn something new everyday!**

* * *

At the front of the magic extraction facility, two guards dozed off. Their heads hung low as their eyelids drifted up and down over their eyes and their jaws went slack. With the sheer amount of boredom, who could blame them? It wasn't like anybody was going to break into their impenetrable facility in the first place!

"Hey!" Called a gruff voice from nearby.

The two guards jumped to their feet, then watched as two other identical guards walked up to them—then again, there were so many people around that every face had started to look the same.

"Your shift here's up, buddy," said one as they pointed a finger to the path behind, "You're needed at the loading docks!"

The other guard nodded in agreement with the first.

The guards posted at the facility breathed sighs of relief, then ran over before you could even bat an eyelash! But as they kicked up intense dust clouds in their wake, their ears were oblivious to the sound of soft giggles…

"Yep!" Chihiro proclaimed as the dust cleared, "Told you they wouldn't even think twice!"

Stealth Elf nodded as she dusted off her hair, then turned back to the dead bushes.

"Come on, everyone!" Stealth Elf whispered as she made an ushering motion, "The coast's clear!"

The sound of crunching dirt drew closer as invisible presences made their way towards Chihiro and Stealth Elf, then finally a warble resounded as the invisibility spell lifted to reveal the rest of their team!

Stealth Elf held a finger to her mask and shushed the others as she crept inside, then turned her attention to Double Trouble. She made a few hand signals, nodded in unison with Double Trouble and stepped back.

Double Trouble, meanwhile, waved his staff around, chanted something under his breath then sent a bolt of magic into the skies! Before the bolt even made slight contact, it expanded into a cocoon of light that encased the entire teams, then faded away to reveal goblin workers dressed in lab coats where everyone once stood!

Everybody nodded in approval and checked out their new disguises, then slowly pushed open the doors and crept inside with everyone else behind her.

For an old castle that looked like it had stood for decades, the inside was surprisingly modernized—all shiny machines and fancy computers and that kind of stuff. Rows of soldiers and scientists alike sat diligent at these gigantic computer panels and watched screens that depicted scenes from what was presumably the rest of the kingdom… Well, save for one, who was fast asleep with their head on their desk.

Chihiro giggled as she examined the sleeping worker, then quirked an eyebrow as she noticed the slip of paper they held in their hand. She tiptoed over to the worker, slid the paper out of their hands then skipped back to the rest of the group as she unfurled it.

"Looks like we've got our map," Chihiro whispered as she traced her finger over its crisp surface, "And it seems like the power switch for this whole thing is on the this floor!"

"And everybody's being held captive on the fourth!" Calliope exclaimed as she leaned over Chihiro's shoulder and examined the map, "We have to go there, now!"

"Actually, we need to go to the power switch first!" A slight frown of confusion formed on Chihiro's face, "Once we deactivate the switch, then we can go and free everyone!"

"But there isn't enough time! The longer we wait, the more and more they lose their magic!" Calliope gulped and bit her lip, then tried to pull the map away from Chihiro, "If we don't hurry, they could die!"

"'They?'" Chihiro pulled the map back from Calliope, "Who are they? The trapped fairies?"

"Whoever they are," Spyro butted in as he snagged the map away from the two of them, "We'll get them and everyone else when we shut this plant down!"

"But—"

"Uh, huh?" Groaned the sleeping goblin scientist as they lazily pulled their head up and swerved it around in a tired haze, drool still trickled from their mouth, "Wha's goin' on? I wasn't sleeping, sir, I promise…"

The goblin scientist clasped and opened their now-empty hand a couple times, then looked at it and frowned.

"Wait a second, where'd my map go?" The goblin looked up to the group and frowned, "Who are you? Were you guys newbies Lord Kaos sent?"

Chihiro went to reply… But before she could, she sneezed and created a gigantic cloud of colorful mist! She hacked and fanned the mist away, as did the others surrounding, then when it finally cleared she looked down at her hand and gasped.

"The disguises!" Chihiro exclaimed as winced and looked up, "They're gone!"

"SKYLANDERS?!" The scientists all exclaimed at once as they scrambled out of their seats, "SOUND THE ALARMS!"

As the scientists tripped and stumbled over towards each other, Calliope dashed straight towards a large elevator in the center of the area! Before anybody could move further, she had already gone in and left.

"Calliope, wait!" Persephone exclaimed as she flew towards the returning elevator.

"Lady Persephone!" Aura cried as she followed after Persephone!

"Hey, wait!" Cali exclaimed while she pushed her way out the back of the ground and chased after Persephone and Aura, "You don't know what's waiting for you up there!"

Chihiro raced over to the elevator as the there of them dashed straight in, but she wasn't quick enough, unfortunately. By the time she was halfway there, the doors had shut completely and the alarms had sounded! Chihiro gritted her teeth and got ready to dart forwards, but before she could even take a step a bunch of guards fell from the ceilings and got into formation!

As the guards readied their spears, Chihiro grunted and cast her own… Spheres, that is!

"Take this!" Chihiro exclaimed as she crafted a basketball-sized magic sphere and tossed it straight at a guard, then raised her hands to the sky.

The cyan-colored glow completely enveloped her hands, jumped out and formed a gigantic sphere about four times as large as the one before! Chihiro spun the giant sphere around, and from it a barrage of regular-sized spheres shot out and grazed down the waves of guards!

Double Trouble was just as quick as he dodged blow by blow from the quartet of guards that had him surrounded! Finally fed up with running, he chanted and waved his staff in the air! All around him, magic crackled like static while colorful silhouettes popped off from his body and formed into… Miniature clones of Double Trouble himself!

"What kind of attack is this?" Laughed one guard as they picked up a clone and tickled it, "Coochie-coo, coochie-coo—"

KABOOM!

The tiny Double Trouble clones all exploded in unison and sent the guards reeling back and crashing into walls and panels! Double Trouble smiled as they all groaned and tried to pull themselves back to their feet, but his smile was quick to fade as he caught sight of a few that stood tall nonetheless. With a chant on his end, bright rainbow light crackled from his staff's head and morphed into beams of eldritch magic that rammed right into the last ones standing!

As the soldiers slammed into keyboards and shattered computer screens, Stealth Elf somersaulted out of Double Trouble's path of destruction and turned invisible.

"Someone's coming," Stealth Elf whispered as she poked her head around the corner.

And sure enough, out from the corner came Hex! Her hands flared with magic as she raised a wall of firm, strong bones between herself and a pack of guards. They all cursed and hacked away at the bones with their spears and weapons, but Hex didn't seem concerned—rather, she immediately went to chanting, all while her hands continued to glow… Then seemingly crackled with deadly fire!

As Hex's chanting grew so loud it rumbled around the rest of the floor, the guards that chased her looked up and screamed! After all, seeing giant, flaming skulls form on your ceiling, perfectly ready to drop on and incinerate you at any given moment would probably scare any rational person.

The guards immediately turned tail and ran, but before they could escape, Stealth Elf popped in front of them! As they skidded to a half, Stealth Elf thrust her hands forward and knocked them out with a cloud of poison powder!

"Now that's what I call silent but deadly," Stealth Elf remarked as she adjusted her gloves.

Hex floated towards Stealth Elf as her bone barrier receded and made a nod of presumed approval. All was silent for a few moments… Then both of them jumped out the way as a tornado with a bunch of guards in its center stormed through the halls!

"STORM INCOMING!" Shouted a very frantic Spyro, his eyes flashed a crystalline sky blue as he chased after the tornado.

As Spyro drew the closest he could to the tornado itself without getting sucked in, the tornado slammed into a nearby wall and knocked out all the guards at once! Spyro beamed in approval, then shuddered as a cold shadow loomed over him. On instinct his eyes flashed gray while he summoned an orb of undead energy and shot it back at the area behind him!

The orb in response slammed straight into the gut of a bulky troll, who grunted as the force tossed them into a nearby console then fell unconscious.

Blasts of magic and clangs of metal became the sights and sounds of today as the battle raged on, the fighting so intense one could barely tell left from right! Faces melded together as soldiers clashed with Skylanders…

But under the cover of battle, one tiny goblin soldier took cover. As this goblin solder ducked under a rain of metal spears, he crawled towards one of the consoles and poked back up. After a few quick glimpses proved that he was alone, he toyed with the consoles' knobs and looked up at the massive screen above him.

"Lord Kaos, Lord Kaos!" Cried the goblin soldier as the transmission screen came to light, "Come in, Lord Kaos!"

Nothing was heard but the faint crackle of static for a few minutes, then…

"WHAT IS IT, MINION?!" Kaos demanded from the other end.

"Lord Kaos, I have the greatest news!" The goblin clutched his hands together, eyes aglow like stars in the night, "We have the portal master and several Skylanders in our clutches, right here at the magic extraction facility!"

"WHAAAATTT?! THERE'S NO WAY! ONLY MY EVIL GENIUS SELF AND A HANDFUL OF MY TROOPS KNOW OF—"

While the transmission carried on, Chihiro rolled her way out of a brawl, then staggered up and gritted her teeth.

"Trying to call for backup, are you?" Chihiro snarled as she sped forward and rammed the goblin into the control panel, "Not today, mister!"

The goblin grunted as he made a face-sized indent in the control panel's, well, panel, then turned around and pushed against Chihiro's firm grip.

"Get off of me, you little gremlin!" The goblin demanded as he kept pushing against Chihiro.

"You get off of me, you creep!" Chihiro shot back as she pushed him back into the panel and examined it, "How do you end this transmission thingie?!"

"So you incompetents DID manage to get the portal master! I'll be there immediately!" Kaos exclaimed, a sickening kind of joy in his voice that quickly turned to impatient rage, "YOU THERE! PILOT! PILOT THIS RUSTBUCKET FASTER!"

The transmission came to a close soon enough as the screen darkened from blue to black, yet Chihiro didn't pull herself away—she just stared at the screen with wide eyes.

"HAH, HEAR THAT, SKYLANDERS?" The goblin proclaimed as he rolled out of Chihiro's grip and turned to the crowds, "LORD KAOS IS ON HIS WAY! AND WHEN HE GETS HERE, IT'S OVER FOR ALL OF YOU! HE'LL—OOF!"

Chihiro slugged the guard straight in the jaw, then as they whimpered and held their very sore face, she made a wince of pain herself. Chihiro clasped her hands and teleported back to the castle's front doors, then breathed in and slammed them open without a second thought!

"Chihiro, what are you doing?" Spyro asked as he turned around from sending giant fireballs towards troll forces, his eyes still red with fire magic.

"You heard him!" Chihiro grunted as she pushed the doors open further, "If Kaos gets here, it'll be over for all of us!"—Chihiro turned to Spyro with utmost seriousness in her eyes—"You guys try and take this place down, I'll buy us some time!"

"Don't tell me…" Spyro's eyes grew wide with realization, "You're gonna fight Kaos by yourself?"

"Chihiro, Kaos is stronger than you can imagine!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she popped up next to Chihiro.

"But we have to keep him from getting here!" Chihiro shouted out between heavy breaths, "If someone doesn't stop him, then everything we did to get this far will be for nothing!"

Spyro frowned, then flew up to Chihiro and placed a paw on her shoulder.

"I understand," Spyro whispered, then raised his voice as he turned to the crowds, "Hex, Double Trouble! Can you handle these guys?

However, they didn't respond… Because they were too busy moving down waves of guards!

"I'll take that as a yes," Stealth Elf remarked as she placed her hands on her hips and casually dodged a flying skull. She then turned around and helped Chihiro fling the doors open.

"Now come on, we don't have much time!"

Stealth Elf bolted out the doors the moment they were fully open with Spyro and Chihiro close behind…

§

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

All around the forest, all that could be heard was Stump Smash and Zook's screams as the two of them fell to their deaths! It seemed like all they could watch was the ground as it drew closer and closer… Then finally, they turned to each other. For a minute, their terrified gazes softened into a mixture of sorrow and regret as they looked towards each other, then cast those sad looks aside.

"We really messed up, didn't we?" Stump Smash admitted at last.

"Yeah, man, we really did," Zook agreed as he clutched his bazooka tight, "We got so caught up in our fighting that we lost sight of what was really important!"

They both looked downwards and cringed.

"And now…" Stump Smash trailed off and gulped, as did Zook. All was silent as they fell further and further, then finally Stump Smash sighed.

"Zook… I'm sorry." Stump Smash looked towards Zook with a solemn kind of earnestness in his eyes, "I was picking fights with you the whole time we were supposed to work together!"—Stump Smash shook his head, or at least tried to—"I shouldn't have been so ornery."

"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing!" Zook retorted as he toyed with the bamboo stalks atop his head, "I was the one who kept egging it on!"

Both Stump Smash and Zook smiled, then reached out their hands—or, mallets, in Stump Smash's case—and held them tight.

"Apology accepted!" They both proclaimed at once as a soft glow enveloped them.

That soft glow shot lights everywhere as they burst into laughter, then looked down and realized they were still falling! Their laughter turned to screams as they held on tight… Only for a gigantic vine to shoot up and catch them!

"So, are you two done fighting?" Camo asked with a click of his tongue.

"Camo!" Stump Smash and Zook called as they both let go, "You're alright!"

"You bet I am!" Camo smiled and patted the top of the gigantic plant he had summoned, "Let me tell you, I've never appreciated the local flora more than I have now."

Camo turned his attention upwards as the vine drew closer and closer to the top of the tree stump platform. Surely once they got to the top, the Evil Elf Ninja and its cronies would be awaiting them…

"Rrready for the actually important fight?" Camo asked as he looked back at Stump Smash and Zook then smiled as they both nodded.

"You bet we are!" Stump Smash and Zook replied in unison as Stump Smash slammed his hammers together while Zook loaded his bazooka.

"THEN LET'S GET SMASHING!"

The three of them leaned down, then leaped off the vine and rolled onto the stump platform!

"Minions, have you found the—" The Evil Elf Ninja questioned into a walkie-talkie as it turned around, only to stumble back in shock as it saw the Skylanders.

"YOU!" The Evil Elf Ninja pointed a finger at the Skylanders, "HOW IN SKYLANDS DID YOU SURVIVE THAT FALL?"—The Evil Elf Ninja shook its head—"You know what? Nevermind! We still have forces that can take you on!"

The Evil Elf Ninja dove its hand into its pocket and grabbed something small and mechanical—a pager, maybe? But, before it could even press it, Camo shot out a vine and knocked the pager straight from its hand! The Evil Elf Ninja scowled as it watched the pager fly off the tree stump, then turned its attention back to the Skylanders.

"So that's how you want to play, huh?" The Evil Elf Ninja grabbed its blades and bent down, "Fine by me!"

The Evil Elf Ninja was off like a bullet as it flung itself towards Zook… But for the first time, Stump Smash had matched its speed! He raced in front of Zook, then whacked the Evil Elf Ninja with his hammer-hands and watched it skid back across the platform! When it was a ways away, Stump Smash smiled towards Zook.

"Your turn now, Zook!" Stump Smash said as he stepped aside and watched Zook smile back.

Zook held out a hand, and in front of him bamboo shoots shot out in a wave towards the Evil Elf Ninja!

The Evil Elf Ninja jumped to its feet and dashed out the way, but before it could make an escape a bunch of vines blocked its way! The Evil Elf Ninja growled as it looked back towards a very smug Camo.

"You can't corner me, you walking leaf!" The Evil Elf Ninja shot back as it held up its hands, "I, for one, know ninjutsu!"

The Evil Elf Ninja disappeared in a puff of green smoke, then reappeared right where the vines' barrier had ceased! It smirked as it landed on the ground… Then screamed and raced off as a team of gigantic chestnuts barreled towards it!

"Dodge that, you!… You, you," Stump Smash exclaimed as he shook a hammer at the Evil Elf Ninja only to hang his head, "I need to get better at coming up with insults."

As the chestnuts chased it down the maze, the Evil Elf Ninja tried its best to escape—but no matter how much it teleported or ran, it found itself at dead ends in every angle! And worse yet, those chestnuts were persistent… So, finally, it disappeared once more and reappeared right atop the platform!

"Hope you know a good doctor!" The Evil Elf Ninja shouted as it held out its hands and shot out gigantic clouds of poison from its hands!

The poison blanketed the arena like sickly fog, and everything it brushed upon, from small leaves to the formidable bamboo and vine maze, shriveled and melted away like it was nothing at all!

Stump Smash and Zook both backed up as the fog drew closer to them, but Camo stood firm.

"ORDER UP!" Camo shouted as he stomped his paws and caused a number of vines to sprout up before him!

The vines weaved themselves into some kind of cannon-looking thing and sucked in the fog! Once the fog had been cleared, the cannon turned upwards, fixed itself on the Evil Elf Ninja then shot the fog right back at it before it withered away!

The Evil Elf Ninja could only gasp as its own fog was turned against it, then it disappeared entirely in the purple mist! Intense coughing and hacking was heard from within the violet storm, then finally the Evil Elf Ninja crashed back down onto the platform.

"I'll… Be back…" The Evil Elf Ninja hacked as it teleported away with the fog, "I'm warning you!"

"Good riddance," Stump Smash remarked as he rolled his eyes. However, his tired face grew a little less weary as he gazed over to Camo and Zook's smiling ones.

"It's good to have you back, guys!" Camo chirped as he laid his paws on Stump Smash and Zook's shoulders.

"We're glad to be back, Camo!" Zook replied as he ruffled Camo's head, then hugged him tight.

Zook smirked towards Stump Smash, who only smiled wider and rolled his eyes once more.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Stump Smash chuckled as he joined in the group hug.

The three of them were at complete peace for those few sweet moments… Then they all froze as the sound of falling trees echoed throughout the area.

"Oh, right!" Camo exclaimed as he burst out of the group hug, "We've got logging to stop!"—Camo then winced as he looked towards the spot where the rockets once resided—"But without those rockets, how are we gonna take down that chainsaw?"

Zook took a cursory look at his bazooka while all three of them tried to mumble out ideas. Nothing seemed to strike right at first… But then, Zook's eyes glimmered with what had to have been inspiration!

"Actually, I think I've got something!" Zook shouted as he nudged Camo's shoulder, "Camo, can you give my bazooka a boost?"

"Why?" Camo looked up at Zook with a frown on his face.

Zook whispered the plan into a wary Camo's earhole, then drew away. Though Camo still seemed a bit concerned at first, his unease loosened as he saw the confident smile on Zook's face.

"Alright, then!" Camo placed a paw on Zook's bazooka, "One blast of growth magic, coming right up!"

As Camo clasped the bazooka tight, it glowed with a bright green flare that enveloped its whole body! While the light shone brighter and brighter, the bazooka grew thrice its size then rested on the ground as several more bazookas sprouted from the original's base. It couldn't even be called a regular bazooka anymore, it was more like a giga-bazooka!

Zook drew back the trigger, and a number of large, thorny missiles popped out of every single hole in the giga-bazooka! His hand held tight on the trigger, Zook turned the bazooka towards the chainsaws… But unfortunately, with its new size came a gigantic weight boost as well! It was quite a lot for one person to turn.

So, Stump Smash walked up to Zook and helped him push the giga-bazooka in the chainsaws' direction!

"Ready, aim…" Zook whispered as he let go of the trigger, "FIRE!"

Right as Zook said this, the thorn missiles zoomed out of the giga-bazooka and slammed straight into the chainsaw. From this collision came a gigantic explosion paired with an equally-large puff of smoke! As the smoke cleared, it revealed that the chainsaw was no more, just a battered hunk of junk with a bent blade rested on top of a nearby stump. Well, it probably wasn't totally useless—it could be used as a good bridge!

"Thanks for that, Stumps!" Zook chirped as he watched his bazooka return to its normal size and picked it back up.

"No problem, Zook," Stump Smash replied as he patted Zook's shoulder.

Camo smiled, then walked forward and latched his paws against the edge of the stump platform. As he held on tight, vines sprouted out from the ground below and formed a natural elevator from the platform they resided on now to the broken chainsaw!

The three of them boarded the elevator's platform, then drew towards the chainsaw and hopped off. With no hesitation, they climbed up the platform and continued on their merry way…

§

The elevator made a friendly ding as it stopped at the fourth floor, but its cheery noise was hardly reassuring to Cali, Aura, or Persephone as they launched themselves out the elevator.

"Calliope!" Cali called as she stepped forwards, "Where are you?"

"Calliope? Calliope?" Persephone called, only for her to catch sight of the walls and reel back.

There, embedded in the walls were round chambers lit with fluorescent cyan light, and there within them…

Were fairies.

Ghastly, terrified-looking fairies who slunk against their chambers or pounded on their doors in hopes for finding someone who could free them! They looked so weak and hopeless… It was enough to give anyone nightmares!

Persephone shuddered as she fixed her eyes on the chambers while her arms trembled. It was as if it was so horrifying, she couldn't even bring herself to look away until...

"No, no, no, that's not them, where are they…" rattled a familiar voice from across the halls!

"Calliope!" Cali called as she grabbed Persephone's hand and raced down the way.

Cali, Aura and Persephone followed the voice's source down the halls, and sure enough, there was Calliope! She seemed quite frantic, eye wide as she examined the captive fairies one by one—it was almost like she was looking for someone…

"Calliope!" Cali called as she stepped forwards, "There you are!"

However, Cali's call was of no importance to Calliope, who only ignoring Cali and continued looking through the pods as she flew further down! Maybe Cali hadn't been loud enough?

"Calliope! Calliope!" Cali continued to call Calliope's name as she followed after Calliope, though her sprints only barely matched Calliope's speed.

As Cali grew maybe a few feet away from Calliope, however, it seemed as if Cali finally succeeded! Calliope perked up for a moment, then gasped as she saw Cali down the way. Calliope turned around as if she was ready to fly off… But before she could, Cali grabbed her hand!

"Calliope, what's going on?" Cali asked as she looked up towards Calliope, who was struggling to break free of Cali's grasp, "What are you doing?"

"There's no time for questions!" Calliope insisted as she continued tugging against Cali's grip, "I have to find them!"

"Them? Who are they?" Cali's brows tightened as she made a small frown, "Who are these people you keep talking about?"

"Just let me go! The longer I wait, the longer—"

"Friends, I hate to interrupt your dance," Persephone said as she shook Cali's shoulder, eyes wide and cold sweat against her brow, "But we've got an unlucky situation!"

"Lady Persephone is right!" Aura proclaimed as she turned around and bit her nails, "We've been found!"

Cali and Calliope frozen for a moment, then turned around… And unfortunately, Aura and Persephone were right—the guards were piling out of the elevator as they spoke! As the guards caught sight of them, Cali, Persephone and Aura all readied themselves to fight… Except the guards did nothing.

Rather, the guards simply turned the dials on their armor a few notches and right then, the light from the chambers grew so intense it bathed the area around in a bone-chilling shade of blue!

The screams and light were so intense, everybody froze in their tracks—which gave the guards just enough time to grab hold of Persephone and Aura!

They were so caught off-guard, they could only scream and writhe in horror as the guards dragged them to two of the nearby chambers and threw them in! Persephone and Aura both screamed and banged their fists against the chambers, then froze and screeched as they shocked with some kind of blue lightning! The sight of them writhing in pain, it was absolutely horrifying!

"Persephone, Aura!" Cali called, his eyes wide before she snarled and grabbed a knife from her pocket, "Alright, now you're in for it!"

With a twist of her foot, Cali propelled herself forwards with full intention of attacking, but before she could even strike a single blow someone swept her off her feet—literally! She just fell on her back, then grunted and pulled herself back up.

"My, my, what a surprise, seeing you here! I wouldn't expect such a pretty lady like you to be so quick to walk to your doom!" Crowed a pale-skinned man with an absolutely stupid-looking bowl cut and handlebar mustache dressed in clockwork armor with too many knobs as he walked up to Cali. Was this the commander that Aura was talking about?

"Shouldn't a lovely woman like you try to preserve herself a bit?"

"CAN IT, YOU CREEP!"

Cali growled once more, her face seethed red with anger, then she leaned forward and socked him right in the kisser!

"THAT'S IT! I TRIED BEING NICE!" The commander snarled as his eyes moved to Calliope, "BUT YOU'VE PROVEN TO ME YOU DON'T DESERVE IT!"

The commander lunged towards Calliope, who could only watch him like a deer in a ship's headlights… But before he could lay a scratch on her, Cali grabbed Calliope and pull her out of his way!

"GET BACK HERE, YOU!" The commander screamed in the distance as Cali made a break for it, his voice grown further and further with every step, "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!"

Cali's breath grew heavier as she dragged Calliope through the rows and rows of trapped fairies and machinery… Surely there had to be somewhere to hide here, right?

There! Right under some massive pipes was a shaft small enough for them to creep under! Cali squeezed Calliope's hand tighter, then hit the floor and skidded right under its opening. The whole place was dark and warm, the only light from the opening beside them, and Cali's body ached with pain from sliding so fast against hard metal… But sometimes, you have to do what you have to do.

Cali stopped for a moment and held a paw over her heart, which still beat with tension from earlier. However, it seemed to have slowed down a bit.

"Calliope, are you—" Cali whispered as she turned to Calliope, but was only met with the sounds of strained sobs!

Calliope had furled herself into a trembling ball, tears poured down her cheeks like waterfalls and her breath torn between sobbing and hyperventilating at the same time!

"Calliope, it's alright, we're safe!" Cali placed a hand on Calliope's shoulder and held Calliope close, "For now."

"NO, NO, THEY AREN'T!" Calliope wailed as she pushed Cali away and broke down into hiccuping sobs, "My mothers… They're surely…"

"Your… Mothers?" Cali caught herself before she fell back on the floor, her wide eyes fixed on an equally wide-eyed Calliope.

Calliope just froze for a moment, then finally she shuddered and nodded.

"When the kingdom was first taken, my mothers were among the captives." Calliope tried her best to hold back her sobs, his voice hoarse and strained from crying, "That's why I wanted to come back here so badly!"—Despite her best efforts, tears rolled down Calliope's swollen eyes once more—"But, surely, they, they, they must, they must be dead by now!"

As Calliope sobbed and curled up, Cali crept forward, then gently wrapped her arms around Calliope and stroked Calliope's back.

"I wouldn't give up just yet, Calliope!" Cali said with a calm smile.

"But, why?" Calliope sniffled as she wiped her nose and looked up at Cali with puffy, swollen eyes, "Everything's so…"

"Hopeless, I know." Cali withdrew from the hug and looked aside from just a moment, then looked back at Calliope, "But, if there's one thing working with the Skylanders has taught me, it's that no situation is truly hopeless until you say it is!"

Cali pounded a fist against her hand.

"If we give up right now, then their fate is sealed for sure…" Cali's word ran with a level of seriousness, yet her smile shone bright as ever, "But, as long as you hang on to that one glimmer of hope that they're still alive, then you'll definitely be able to save your moms!"

Though Calliope shook a bit still, it seemed as if Cali's words reassured her just a bit. "Are you sure?"

"I'm certain."

Cali winked along with her smile, then yipped in surprise as Calliope tackled Cali in a hug!

"Thank you, Cali." Calliope cried tears not of sorrow, but of what seemed like reassurance or joy, even.

"No problem!" Cali wiped away Calliope's tears and helped Calliope back up, "Now, before we can do anything, we have to get back down there and shut this whole place down! The longer it takes us, the more magic everyone here will lose—there's no time to waste!"

"R-right." Calliope looked away as if she was hesitating, but nodded nonetheless.

So, they both looked out the entrance to their hideaway and gulped. It didn't seem like they could hear footsteps or non-fairy voices—surely, those guards had lost interest and left by now. So, they both approached the entrance...

"Anyways, that reminds me. I've been wondering…" Cali tilted her head as she looked back at Calliope, "How exactly did you escape, anyways?"

Before Calliope could answer, however, both of them were shaken by the sound of tearing metal as bright light poured into the hiding place! They turned around, and unfortunately for them, realized that they had been found! The two of them screamed and held each other as the guards and commander glared down above them.

"FOUND YOU, YOU INSOLENT PESTS!" The commander proclaimed.

§

The chainsaws and troll lumberjacks now long behind them, Zook sang a jaunty tune in some kind of language far beyond the other two's understanding as they trailed up identical wooden paths. It was as if they were the only ones in the forest as they scoured for the Eternal Life Source… That is, until they heard rustling from nearby!

"WHO'S THERE?!" Stump Smash and Camo exclaimed as they readied to attack. Their eyes trained on the source of the noise, a bush of leaves that shook furiously…

Yet oddly enough, Zook seemed perfectly calm. He just laid down his bazooka and smiled as he pushed back the bushes.

"Well, would'ja look at that?" Zook remarked as he watched a fluffy gray squirrel hop out from the bushes, "Run along, little guy!"

As the squirrel looked up and twitched its nose, Stump Smash and Camo breathed sighs of relief. Phew, just a false alarm… But on the other hand, the earthquakes that followed were certainly real! As everybody fell on their backs while the squirrels rushed off, Camo gritted his fangs and held his paws over his head.

"What's going on here?" Camo exclaimed, his voice strained as he struggled to be heard over the rumbling of the quakes.

"Why are you talking about mowing, Camo?!" Stump Smash yelled back.

"I didn't say mowing, I said GOING!" Camo breathed in and exhaled, only to fall back down as a series of loud bangs shot off from above!

"ARE THOSE FIREWORKS?" Stump Smash whipped his head around, "Who's shooting off fireworks at a time like this?"

"Those aren't fireworks…" Zook interrupted as he pushed himself between Stump Smash and Zook, "Fireworks don't sound like that, I'd know!"—Zook then pointed everyone towards the path behind them—"Those are gunshots!"

Stump Smash and Camo followed Zook, and sure enough he was right! From across the horizon, large metal missiles shot through the skies and straight towards them! They all screamed as they ran around like headless chickens in some effort to dodge the missiles' path, but it was no use! The missiles followed them every which way. No matter where they run or what they do, the missiles were perfectly fit to chase them!

"Alright, I've had enough of running!" Zook proclaimed as he stopped and loaded his bazooka. With a click of the trigger, Zook's own missiles rammed right into the missiles that tailed them and blew the enemy missiles to bits!

Camo breathed a sigh of relief as he examined the shrapnel underneath, but Stump Smash didn't seem quite as reassured by Zook's victory—for he only turned around and winced.

"I wouldn't catch your breath just yet!" Stump Smash warned as he painted ahead, "Look!"

Ahead of them, even more missiles had flown out from nowhere, their paths locked on Stump Smash, Zook and Camo! Once again they all found themselves running about in a panic as they tried to shake the missiles, but this time it seemed like giggling intermingled with the sounds of the missiles' fire!

Camo frowned and stopped in place, then turned his attention towards a nearby collection of rustling bushes. With a frown, he crept closer towards the bushes and pushed their branches aside…

To find a troll holding a gigantic remote! It laughed so hard tears streamed down from its face, its eyes focused on a screen propped out from the remote that depicted Stump Smash and Zook running in circles as the missiles pursued them.

Camo said no words, and instead just made a simple cough into his paw…

But, it was plenty enough to catch the attention of the troll, who upon seeing Camo, ran screaming with no mind paid to the fact that it dropped its remote!

"Well, that's one thing solved!" Camo remarked as he watched the troll run for the hills. Camo turned his attention back down to the remote, then made a twisted frown as he smashed its base with a powerful stomp!

The screen attached to it showed an image of a confused Stump Smash and Zook standing frozen as the missiles stopped mid-race and harmlessly clunked onto the forest floor… Then completely blipped out right in time for Camo to leave the bushes.

"Don't wory, guys!" Camo proclaimed as he gave them a toes up, "Coast's clear!"

Stump Smash and Zook nodded as all three of them reformed their little group, then walked down the wooden way until Stump Smash stopped in his tracks!

"Into the bushes, now!" Stump Smash exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Camo and Zook and pushed them all into the bushes!

"What was that for?" A dizzy Camo asked as he tried to recollect himself.

Stump Smash only shushed them, then pointed out a hole in the bushes.

There outside of their hiding spot, two bulky trolls dressed in lumberjack plaids and armor trolled their way down the path, their eyes turned to each other.

"See the Skylanders anywhere?" Asked one troll soldier to the other.

"SKYLANDERS?!" Exclaimed the second troll as they jumped up and looked every which way, "WHERE?!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" The first troll snarled as he conked his coworker right on the head.

"Owch!"

"The Evil Elf Ninja said that the Skylanders were here, and with the Life Source close by we can't afford to let them slip under our radar! They've already had to assign half our missile launchers to this stretch alone!" The first troll snarled as he watched the second troll rub their aching head, "Keep looking!"

"Alright…"

As the trolls made their leave, Camo beamed towards Stump Smash and Zook, who shared his look of excitement.

"Hear that?" Zook whispered, his eyes bright lights that shone among the trees' canopy.

"Loud and clear!" Camo replied as he leaped out of the bushes, "Let's go get that source—"—Camo froze as he caught sight of at all the soldiers stationed by and jumped back into the bushes—"Actually, we might wanna stick here!"

Camo took one last peek outside then closed up the holes in the bushes.

"There's creeps crawling everywhere."

So instead, they fell to their bellies and crawled through the bushes, with the occasional peek through the bushes taken to see if the guards had cleared up some… But nope! Still as tight as ever!

"They weren't kidding when they said they amped up security…" Zook remarked as he turned his eyes away from the bushes, "Looks like we'll have to find another way around!"

"Actually, I don't think that'll be necessary!" Stump Smash proclaimed as he smashed his hands together, "TIMBERRRR!"

Stump Smash stormed through the path of soldiers and bulldozed down as many trolls that he could with his hammers, then while the trolls reeled from shock he spat out a round of spiny chestnuts! The trolls kicked up storms of dead wood and dust in their panic, the perfect mask for the Skylanders to sneak in under!

While the trolls cleared out, Zook, Stump Smash and Camo dodged in, completely veiled by the clouds of dust. Underneath these clouds they crept their way through the sounds of chaos and war. As the trolls were left in the literal dust, the three of them froze and shuddered. For a moment, it was like the power of the Life Element itself had flooded through their veins!

"Did you guys feel that?" Camo asked, then the smile on his face grew wider as Zook and Stump Smash nodded, "We've gotta be close!"

Camo turned his attention back to the path ahead… Or rather, paths! Two soft, plush-looking bounce pads decorated the wooden floor's left and rightmost sides respectively. The first one lead to forest canopy with a chopped half of a log for a bridge, the second to a fortress entrance made of thin logs and wooden planks.

All three of them approached the rightmost bounce pad where the Life Element energy echoed the most… But as they approached the bounce pad, the bushes around started rustling!

"HALT RIGHT THERE, SKYLANDERS!"

One by one, five troll guards in impressively color-coordinated armor leaped out of the bushes and bore their weapons!

"Just who are you guys?" Stump Smash demanded as he stepped back, Camo and Zook closed behind.

The trolls, in response, all lined up single-file.

"A fantastic mind with fantastic muscles to match!" The first troll proclaimed as they flexed then make an F rune with their arms, "Farley, the F!"

"Outrageous speed and outrageous strength, all wrapped up in one package!" Exclaimed the second troll as they ran in place and punched the air before them then made an O rune with their arms, "Orson, the O!"

"Radical and righteous, I'll raze you to the ground!" Cried the third as they flipped their hair, slashed the air beside them with their lance then make an R rune with their arms, "Raquel, the…"

However, while they were busy showing off their fancy group intro, the Skylanders had bored of the routine and went ahead to the bounce pads!

"HEY! YOU DIDN'T LET US FINISH OUR INTRO!" Raquel yelled, his face tinged red from fury.

"Not our fault you took too long!" Stump Smash replied with a hapless shrug, only to grunt as Orson crashed into him and sent him crashing into a stack of logs.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR NOT LETTING US INTRODUCE OURSELVES!"

"Oh yeah?" Zook asked as he turned around and readied his bazooka, Camo and Stump Smash close behind and just as ready to fight, "Bring it on!"

Farley immediately went to attack Camo, but Camo was quick to knock him away with gigantic bell pepper bombs! The peppers exploded and blew away not just Farley, but the rest of the trolls as well! Camo stood for a moment to admire his work… Only for Orson to shoot Camo down with a quickly-timed punch!

"Ha!" Orson scoffed as he pressed his fists against his hips, "That's what you get for gloating! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

But while Orson laughed at Camo's defeat, he didn't seem to notice a shadow slunk behind him...

"Maybe you should listen to some of your own advice!" Stump Smash retorted as he sneaked up on Orson and smacked him right in the back!

Orson went flying straight into one of the other trolls, which in turn sent them both bowling into a nearby log pile! They both whined as they sat up and pulled out splinters, then set one look at each other and…

"YOU NEED TO WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, CARL!" Orson yelled as he shook a fist at Orson.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO WATCH IT, ORSON!" The troll who was apparently Carl retorted as he crossed his arms, "YOU WOULDN'T SEE A BOMB IF IT HIT YOU SQUARE IN THE FACE!"

"Geez, haven't we had enough silly arguments for one day?" Zook groaned as he watched Orson and Carl argue, then with a smile he knelt down and motioned his hand up, "Looks like I'd better break them up!"

While Zook continued to motion, a soft ripple echoed around the battlefield, one that was completely drowned out by the sounds of combat…

Though the gigantic row of bamboo shoots that soon shot up was prominent enough! It was so large and fast, it immediately shot both Orson and Carl off the ground and headfirst into the nearby trees!

"Ow, our heads…"

Orson groaned as he slid down and just barely avoided falling on another troll, who winced as Orson bonked his head on the tree's trunk.

"This doesn't look good…" Remarked the troll as they slipped out of the fight and jumped on the rightmost bounce pad, "I'd better warn the commanders!"

As the troll tried to make a great escape, Camo slid back from Farley's latest blow, then turned around and spotted the runaway troll!

"Thought you could get away, huh?" Camo hissed as he chased after the troll, "Get back—"

Just then, the troll ran into the path above, which was blocked off by a wooden gate right before Camo could enter! Instead, he just slammed face-first into the gate and fell down.

"Okay, maybe you can!" Camo cried as birds flew around his head.

The other four trolls all sneered as they caught sight of the blocked-off gate,

"Alright boys, finish them off!" Farley commanded.

All five trolls huddled around Zook, Stump Smash and Camo, their weapons and sneers raised as they surely pictured the Skylanders' defeat in their minds… But Zook had other ideas. While the trolls closed in on them, Zook raised his bazooka, clicked the trigger and sent them rocketing away with a gigantic thorny missile courtesy of his bazooka!

"THIS ISN'T THE LAST OF TEAM FORCEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The trolls screamed in unison as… Ding! Just like that, the disappeared over the leafy skies!

"Now how are we supposed to get up there?" Camo asked as he finally recovered from his dizzy spell and looked up at the closed gate. Camo made a soft hum, then smiled as he narrowed his eyes. "I know! How about I turn up the heat?"

Camo leaped onto the bounce pad, then as he was elevated to the gate's level he shot a red-hot fireball at it… But the moment the fireball made contact with the gate, it flickered out instantly!

"So much for that." Camo sighed as he fell back down, then stepped out of the way and gestured towards Stump Smash and Zook.

Stump Smash and Zook both shrugged as they looked at each other, then jumped up and shot a combined blast of chestnuts and thorn missiles… But no luck, the gate still wouldn't budge. Must have been made of some pretty tough wood!

"Now what?" Stump Smash asked while they fell back down and examined the gate.

"Well…" Zook said as he pointed to the left bounce pad, "Maybe we should check out the other path?"

All three pairs of eyes fixed on the left bounce pad, then they all shrugged and lined up. Well, it was worth a shot! So, they took the second bounce pad one by one and trailed down the trail it brought them… Wait a second! Muttering echoed down from the way below, it couldn't be…

Yes, it was trolls! A bunch of trolls, all swarmed together like bees as they chattered and held metal boxes!

Camo, Zook and Stump Smash all got themselves ready attack, while the trolls all froze and gasped.

"Skylanders!" They all cried out at once as they… loosened their stances and muttered among themselves?

"You know what?" Said one troll as they turned around and swirled a hand at the very confused Skylanders, "Normally I'd be happy to fight you Skylanders, but right now it's my lunch break and I'm starving!"

They other trolls all nodded in agreement, then passed Zook, Stump Smash and Camo by as they murmured among themselves.

"You got lucky, don't forget that!"

"I can't wait to eat my ham and gunpowder sandwich!"

"I hope my mom packed those chips I liked…"

All three Skylanders blinked in complete and utter confusion as the trolls left them behind, then shrugged and passed on forward.

"Well, at least we don't have to fight them, I guess?" Camo remarked as he watched Zook and Stump Smash tear down a crude wooden fence that blocked the rest of the way, "Let's just hurry before they finish their lunches. Or change their minds. Or both."

And with the fence now completely torn down thanks to a blow from Stump Smash, they did just that!

§

The guards loomed over them, overpowered and fully ready to attack, but Cali wasn't going to sit here and wait for her death! Instead, Cali let go of Calliope, grabbed another pocket knife from her slacks and got ready to lunge… But before she could, a bunch of skulls rained down out of nowhere and knocked the guards down in one strike!

"WHAT?" The commander exclaimed as he looked around the halls, "Who's there? Show yourself immediately!"

With the guards unconscious and the commander distracted, Cali saw the perfect escape route! She immediately stowed the knife back away so she could grab Calliope's hand, ducked and rolled right underneath the commander, barely attentive to his shout of surprise, then pulled herself up to find…

None other than Hex, who held out a glowing hand as the elevator behind her receded downwards!

"I'd suggest you leave them alone, if I were you," Hex said, her voice colder than usual as she trained her eyes on the commander.

"Or what?" The commander sneered as he cranked the dial on his gloves, "You'll throw me a bone or two?"

The fairies' screams grew louder as the halls were painted a deadly blue, but Hex paid little mind to this as she tossed more skulls at the commander. She was as steely and unbreakable as ever—surely her attacks would do something!

But alas, he just knocked the skulls away like they were rubber balls!

"Oh, don't even try!" The commander made an absolutely sickening smile, "With all the fairy magic I have on my side, your attacks are mere child's play!"

"Don't act so cocky, buddy!" Cali exclaimed as she boosted up Calliope, "We've got a fairy on our side, too!"—Cali gave Calliope's shoulder a gentle nudge—"Come on, Calliope!"

Calliope, however, only winced and pulled away.

"Cali, I don't think you'd want me to do this…" Calliope whimpered as she held her arm.

"Why not?" Cali tilted her head, "You're a fairy, you should have fairy magic, right?"

Cali, however, wasn't the only one taking a peek at Calliope. The commander had froze and trained his eyes on Calliope as well, his gaze an unwelcome presence for Calliope as she tried to hide herself away further.

"Wait a second, I remember you!" The commander cackled, "You're that useless fairy that we tossed out because you don't have a bit of magic in your body!"

Cali and Hex both froze on the spot. Calliope, magicless? Cali herself had wanted to ask further, but before she could the commander finally bored of sitting around!  
Rather, he immediately lunged forward and slammed Calliope into a nearby wall!

"I'll give you credit, you have a lot of guts coming back despite your sorry state…" The commander twisted Calliope's arm as she screamed in pain, her attempts to escape his grasp completely futile, "But I'm afraid it was all for nothing, dear!"

With another twist, the commander sent out volts of bright blue lightning that shocked Calliope to the bone!

"You… You better let me go!" Calliope hissed through gritted teeth despite the pain that surely surged through her body while she gave the commander a dark glare, "You don't know what I'm capable of!"

"Oh, what ever would you do to me?" The commander raised an eyebrow, "Scream? Glare? Beg for mercy?"

A hint of ecstasy shone in the commander's eyes as he shocked Calliope further and cackled, as if he was almost reveling in her screams. "You're nothing but an absolute failure of a fairy!"

"I WARNED YOU!"

Calliope's scream was so great it reverberated around the halls and shocked everyone speechless, including the commander for a few moments! As the lightning let up for a tiny bit, Calliope gritted her teeth then stiffly and slowly raised her arms. With how much electricity coursed through her body, it showed another side to her, one more tough and intimidating that demanded the attention of everyone around! She snapped her fingers...

And yet, all it did was surround the commander in a red glow.

"What, making me glow is the worst you could do? I can do that any…" The commander's jaw went slack as he trembled and held his head, then fell to his knees and soon his hands. His eyes were wide and his face pale, as if he had come down with a sudden illness.

"What, what's going on?" The commander croaked between cold shudders, "Why do I feel so weak?"

"Who's the failure now, hm?" Calliope asked as the red glow that surrounded the commander leaped from his body and transformed into a glowing red orb that rested in her hands.

Calliope flitted over to Cali and Hex, then made a slow, cold nod.

"Get him."

Cali nodded, then jumped forward and elbowed the commander straight in the back, which sent him stumbling to the floor with a pained wheeze. He tried to stagger up and swing at Cali, but he was so slow that Cali herself had jumped out of the way in time to watch Hex hit him with a magical orb blast!

The blast slammed the commander into a window and cracked it, and surely without his armor it probably would've cracked him as well! But it didn't, so he just slunk against the floor.

"Bah, it doesn't matter what you do to me!" The commander exclaimed as he turned the knob on his glove, though his continued trembling said otherwise, "I still have plenty of fairy magic to power my—"

The commander's blue glow of power lasted for mere moments before a red bolt of lightning shot out from Calliope's orb and sapped the energy right from him!

"Suit?"

The commander shuddered as he fell to his knees once more, his whole body shaken as he grasped for his suit's power dial… But before he could, Cali bolted forward and kicked him straight in the chest!

He grunted as he slammed into the window and made an uncomfortable cracking sound, then reached for the dials on his gloves. But this time, instead of trying to power himself up, he created a magical shield instead!

Cali wasn't able to catch on to this, however, and only bounced off the shield right as it manifested from nowhere! Cali flew in the air for moments, only to get caught midway through her flight by a skeletal hand. As she opened her eyes and examined her skeletal seat, Cali smiled and slid right off the hand's hard palm.

Hex examined Cali with an eerie level of silence, then turned her attention back to the commander.

The shield around him had faded, but the momentary distraction it had provided gave him just enough time to power himself up again! With a few turns of the dials' notches, his whole body glowed blue.

"Let's end this right here, shall we?" The commander asked as he held up a hand and created a crackling sphere of blue energy.

"Gladly," Hex replied as she crafted a large, spiky phantom orb.

Their twin attacks marinated in their casters' power for mere moments, then finally shot off!

The commander seemed perfectly confident in himself as he watched his beam of energy rocket towards Hex's orb, then his jaw dropped as a red lightning bolt intercepted the beam and withered it into nothingness. The commander let out a cry of shock, a cry that devolved into terrified screaming as the orb shot right towards him and smashed him straight into the window! By a sheer stroke of luck he had managed to grab onto the side… But it wouldn't hold him up forever, and it was a long drop below.

Calliope said no words, but merely floated over to him and examined him as he hung on for dear life.

"Um, miss… Tralliope, was it?" The commander trilled as he made a weak chuckle, his eyes wide and his smile wavering, "Forget everything I said, why don't you help me up and I'll—"

"Commander Ebonyomen, was it?" Calliope echoed as she knelt down and scowled, "Hardly an earned title. You made your entire throne here using others for your own gain and tossing them out when they're of no use to you!"—Calliope made a bloodchilling smirk—"Looks like that's certainly come back to bite."

"Please, please, forgive me! I'll, I'll change!" The commander begged as tears of panic filled his eyes, "I'll take back every awful thing I said! I'll let go of—"—the commander looked aside and winced—"One whole fairy! No, two! Please, just don't let me fall!"

"Sorry…" Calliope's face darkened as she grabbed the commander's hand and yanked it off the platform, "But forgiveness is something you're far from worthy of!"

The commander's screams were akin to that of the fairies he had tormented, terrified and bloodcurdling as he fell to what was certainly his grave.

And yet, Calliope seemed hardly discontented. She only watched him crash into the ground with a sickening crunch, then wiped her hands and turned back to a shocked Hex and Cali.

"Calliope…" Cali whispered, her eyes wide as her hands trembled from the aftershocks, "What was all that?"

Calliope seemed hesitant to reply at first, but finally she gulped and looked down at her hands.

"… My magic," Calliope said before she took a quick breath, "I was born with a strange kind of fairy magic. While most fairies can give others power…"—Calliope paused to toy with the glowing red orb that now resided on the floor—"Mine takes it away."

All was silent for a few moments, but then finally Hex floated closer to Calliope.

"Was that how you were able to escape?" Hex asked.

Calliope only nodded.

"They were only looking for fairies with the normal kind of magic, so when they didn't read mine they thought I was powerless and tossed me aside. I was lucky enough to steal an old warship and get away before things got too ugly." Calliope looked aside at the broken window and scoffed, "Clearly, letting me go was their biggest mistake."

As the blue glow and screams rose again, Calliope froze then thrust the orb of stolen power right into Cali's arms. "Take this, and get Her Majesty and Aura out of there!"

Cali froze for a moment as well, all of this so quick she couldn't react at first, but nonetheless she accepted the orb and watched as it flooded her body with its power. The moment she did, however… It was amazing! It was like Cali had the strength of ten warriors, no, an entire army of Skylands' best! This newfound power well-homed within her, Cali immediately raced over to the pods where Aura and Persephone were being held.

Cali grunted as she latched her hands around the first pod, then yanked off its warm surface and pulled Persephone out!

Persephone heaved heavy breathes as she fell to her hands, her face pale and her strained breaths akin to the ones people make before tossing their cookies—though she did seem to lighten up a little when she saw Aura next to her.

"Au… ra…" Persephone croaked as she crawled over to Aura and laid a pale hand on Aura's own.

Cali winced as she saw them, so weak and helpless, then turned to Calliope with pleading eyes. Calliope in turn moved closer to Cali, as if she knew what Cali was going to ask, and laid a hand on Cali's shoulder. Cali felt herself grow weaker as she was enveloped by the red glow of Calliope's magic, then as her body adjusted to her return to normal strength Cali watched that red glow flow into Aura and Persephone.

The two of them twitched their wings as they glowed red as well, then slowly they pushed themselves back to full height.

"Feeling better?" Calliope asked as she helped prop Aura back up.

Aura and Persephone nodded as all five of them made their way back to the elevator.

§

Stump Smash frowned as he pushed through a couple of leafy bushes to the best of his ability, then closed them up and sighed.

"No Eternal Life Source here, either," Stump Smash said as he turned back to Camo and Zook.

"That's gotta be the tenth place we've looked!" Zook said as he scratched his head, "Where could the Eternal Life Source be? I bet we've checked the entire forest at this—"

Before Zook could finish, all three of them jolted up and shuddered with such intensity that it froze them in their places.

"Life energy!" Camo exclaimed as he finally pulled himself off his spot, "We've gotta be close!"—Camo rushed down a tree branch and well past Zook and Stump Smash—"Come on, guys, I think it came from over here!"

Zook and Stump Smash chased after Camo, but Camo was far from attentive to their chase. Instead, he had been pushing past thick branches coated in leaves. As Camo dug past another branch, he frowned and tilted his head. From within the area, it almost sounded like Zook and Stump Smash were talking?

"Guys, shush!" Camo scolded as he turned back to Zook and Stump Smash, "Those rotten clones could be anywhere!"

"But, Camo…" Zook whispered, a confused frown on his face as he teased one of his leafy bamboo shoots, "That wasn't us!"

"Haven't said a word since I got here," Stump Smash affirmed as he crossed his arms.

Camo raised an eyebrow, then turned back to the branches and continued digging through their barriers. The more he did, the louder the conversation got… Until a hole had opened up and revealed the conversation's source!

"Evil Bambazooker," said a purple and green clone of Stump Smash with blank eyes as it cracked acorns with its mallet hands, "Find anything yet?"

"Not yet, Evil Tree Ent," replied the Evil Bambazooker, a sinister-looking purple and green clone of Zook, as it twisted off the cap of a particularly large acorn, peered inside and tossed it away, "All these acorns look the same if you ask me!"

"Bad news, guys. Seems like those clones beat us to the punch!" Camo growled as he ducked his head and turned around, "We've gotta stop them!"

Stump Smash and Zook peeked through the hole Camo had crafted and grimaced themselves.

"Of course they did," Stump Smash groaned as he leaned forwards, "But, if we can catch them off guard, it'll give us plenty of time to find the Source!"—Stump Smash narrowed his eyes as he fixed himself on the Evil Tree Ent and Bambazooker—"And I have just the idea."

Stump Smash cleared his throat and widened the hole Camo had made as he opened his mouth… But then he lost his balance and rolled straight through the hole! Stump Smash grunted as he fell forwards and got a faceful of acorn, then sat up and hacked out the stray acorns.

"Ugh!" Stump Smash grunted as he wiped his mouth, "If I knew acorns tasted so awful, I never would've made them!"

"I thought you made chestnuts, not acorns?" Zook asked as he hopped out of the hole and helped Stump Smash to his feet.

"Used to, until I got some fancy upgrades from Persephone." Stump Smash coughed out more acorn meat and grimaced, "And now, I'm glad I did."

Stump Smash rubbed the side of his head and looked up… Then he and Zook scurried back as they found themselves face to face with the Evil Tree Ent and Evil Bambazooker!

"THE SKYLANDERS!" The Evil Tree Ent and Bambazooker as they dropped their acorns, "HOW DID YOU GET HERE?"

"Well, so much for distracting them," Camo remarked as he hopped out of the hole and glared down the Evil Tree Ent and Bambazooker, then looked towards Zook and Stump Smash.

"Zook, Stump Smash! Keep these guys busy, I'll look for the Eternal Life Source!"

"Well…" Stump Smash said as he slammed his hands together and charged towards the Evil Tree Ent, "I've been wanting to DROP THE HAMMER!"

"And I'm LOCKED AND LOADED!" Zook exclaimed as he pulled his bazooka's trigger and sent a round of thorny missiles shooting towards the Evil Bambazooker!

While Stump Smash and Zook traded blows with the Evil Tree Ent and Bambazooker, Camo dove under the fray and made a beeline for the pile of acorns the Evil Tree Ent and Bambazooker had amassed! He grabbed one and popped it open… But all that came out was whitish-yellow acorn meat.

"Nope, not that one!" Camo tossed the broken acorn aside and popped the next one open… But to the same effect.

"Or that one!" Camo tossed that acorn aside as well, then grabbed several more acorns and smashed them open! However, all that he got was once again, acorn meat.

"Or those!" Camo winced as he tossed aside the broken acorns, then dug back into the pile and cracked open more acorns!

Unbeknownst to Camo, however, was that every piece of acorn meat he touched glowed with a bright green light as soon as it hit the floor, then immediately sprouted into a large tree!

Stump Smash snarled as he dodged some rockets from the Evil Bambazooker and went to launch an attack of his own. Meanwhile, the Evil Bambazooker was more than prepared to fight itself, its bazooka locked and ready to fire. But before they could fight further, a glowing piece of acorn meat fell between them and sprouted into a gigantic oak tree! The growth was so fast and sudden, it tossed both of them aside!

As the Evil Bambazooker regained its footing, it spotted Camo and immediately reached for its bazooka!

"You think you can get away with our acorn, do you?" The Evil Bambazooker growled as it positioned the bazooka, "Let me tell you, you have—OWCH!"

Before the Bambazooker could even fire, Stump Smash slammed into the Bambazooker and tossed it straight into the trunk of another Camo-created tree!

"Camo!" Stump Smash called as he turned around to face Camo, "Watch where you're throwing those acorns!"

"Why?" Camo asked as he turned back to Stump Smash, then saw the giant trees that littered the battlefield and giggled, "Oh, whoops! My bad!"

Camo scratched the back of his head, then his eyes shrank as his whole body trembled!

"That energy…" Camo turned back to the acorn pile and shuddered some more, "It's gotta be!"

Camo sifted through the pile of acorns once more, then beamed and fished out an acorn surrounded by a mysterious, magical green glow. There was no mistaking it, this had to be…

"The Eternal Life Source!"

Camo cracked the acorn open, then watched as the green glow that once surrounded it leaped above him and solidified into a slightly more tangible form!

It had taken the form of a barely medium-sized, green glowing oval with crisp green leaves that bounced around in its center. All around it radiated such great Life Element energy that the trees and plants around glowed with life, as if they were at the peak of their prime!

"It's beautiful…" Camo's eyes sparkled as he reached out to grab the Life Source… Only for a blur to jump forward and snag it right before his very eyes!

"WHAT THE HECK?"

Camo shifted his head left and right as a shrill cackle echoed through the battlefield.

"Thought you could shake me, huh?" Chided a familiarly shrill voice, "Sorry to disappoint, but a little smoke cloud doesn't take me down so easily!"

Out from the shadows of the battlefield, the Evil Elf Ninja strode out with a proud step and the Eternal Life Source hovered right next to it!

"Evil Elf Ninja!" The Evil Tree Ent called as it pulled away from its ongoing battle with Zook, "You arrived just in time!"

Camo growled and leaped towards the Evil Elf Ninja, but it simply stepped out of the way and watched him crash into the floor!

"Sorry, Skyloser," The Evil Elf Ninja sneered as it bounced the Eternal Life Source up and down, "You're just too slow!"

Camo shook his head, then glanced back at the Evil Elf Ninja and pulled himself to his feet. Once again he tried to leap after it, but it teleported away once more! So he turned tail and leaped again in a never-ending game of cat and mouse—or rather, elf and dragon!

"Is that the best you can do?" The Evil Elf Ninja scoffed as it reappeared just inches away from Stump Smash and watched Camo slam face-first into the floor, "I expected better!"

"How about you better watch where you're going!" Stump Smash rumbled as he opened his mouth and shot a round of chestnuts towards the Evil Elf Ninja!

But, even this surprise attack wasn't surprising enough for it! It saw the chestnuts coming out the corner of its eye, then teleported away and reappeared just in time to watch the chestnuts roll off the side of the arena platform!

"Trying to out-sneak a ninja?" The Evil Elf Ninja would've surely rolled its eyes if they weren't completely blank, "Pathetic."

The Evil Elf Ninja walked towards the Evil Tree Ent and Evil Bambazooker, then held out the Eternal Life Source for them all to bask in.

"It's all ours, boys!" The Evil Elf Ninja rolled up its sleeve and tapped out something on some strange device, then pulled its sleeve back up and placed a hand on the Eternal Life Source, "Let's make good use of it!"

"YEAH!" Cried the Evil Tree Ent and Evil Bambazooker as they placed their own hands on the Eternal Life Source.

As they placed their hands on the Source, its brilliant green glow faded—but only for a moment. After that moment passed, not only did the Source glow, but the evil minions glowed bright and green as well! They then cackled as they watched the trees Camo created shrivel and shrink back into the ground while their own glow brightened. They were all sickeningly proud of their accomplishment, and worse yet, they seemed stronger as well.

Much, _much _stronger.

"Who knew having the entire Life Element's power flow through you would feel so good?" The Evil Elf Ninja asked as it twirled around and flexed.

The powered up evil minions smirked as they imposed themselves over the Skylanders, now more than ready to finish them off!

The Skylanders, however, refused to go down without a fight!

Stump Smash was the first to trade blows as he shot a round of chestnuts off against the Evil Tree Ent, who was quick to do the same. The chestnuts all smashed to bits as evil chestnuts collided with good, their meat and fragmented shells littered across the battlefield.

"Alright, maybe these nuts need a little boost!" The Evil Tree Ent remarked as it rubbed its hammers hands together, then slammed those hands against the ground!

From its hands, a wave of life energy rippled across the battlefield and made its broken chestnuts shudder with power! One by one their fragments were lifted off the ground, fixed themselves piece by broken piece, the grew to the size of giants!

"Uh oh," Stump Smash said as he watched the gigantic chestnuts fall down to the ground with a loud crash.

Stump Smash screamed as he tried to outrun the chestnuts, but they had picked up momentum far too fast! He could only trip and watch as they slammed into him and tossed him aside!

"Stump Smash!" Zook and Camo cried.

The two of them immediately went to Stump Smash's side… But before they could reach, the Evil Bambazooker skidded in front of them and sprouted a ring of gigantic bamboo around Zook, trapping him inside!

"Hey, what's the big idea, man?" Zook demanded as he pounded his fists against the bamboo and tried to pry it open… Then stopped as cackling from a voice identical to his resounded from within the bamboo!

"Who's there?" Zook immediately grabbed his bazooka and lifted it high, "Don't make me…"

Zook flinched as the sound of a gun loading clicked behind him. He turned around, and out from the stalks shot a bamboo rocket aimed straight at him!

"SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Zook exclaimed as the following explosion tossed him out of the ring and dropped him off with a now-unconscious Stump Smash.

And where was Camo in all this? Well…

"Get back here!" Camo demanded as he lunged after the Evil Elf Ninja, only for it to pop away from him the moment he jumped! Instead, he just smashed his face into the wood!

Camo winced as he got up and pulled a few splinters out of his scales, then turned back around to see the Evil Elf Ninja reappear out of thin air. With a growl, he stomped his paws and vaulted full-grown and _very _explosive watermelons at it… But it just disappeared again right as they exploded!

As it reappeared, Camo stomped his paws and sent several vines ripping through their stumpy battlefield. The vines inched closer and closer to the Evil Elf Ninja, who stood still as stone. Did Camo finally have a chance?

Nope, it just blasted the vines with clouds of purple spores and reveled as the vines withered and snapped! Finally, he knelt down and charged after it… But once again, it disappeared right as he charged! And yet, he still bounced off of something, but what? Camo looked up and unfortunately found his answer, for he had crashed right into a literal monster of a scarecrow!

"Uh…" Camo chuckled as he backed away, "Nice scarecrow?"

The scarecrow only roared and smashed the ground between them, which blew Camo right into Stump Smash and Zook! The three of them all crashed into each other at once and groaned as they tried to pull themselves back to their feet… But before they could, the evil minions had completely cornered them!

All three minions smirked and cackled, the power of life radiated off of their bodies. They had a complete advantage over the Skylanders, and they knew it—surely they were more than ready to put an end to all this!

"Alright, let's finish this," The Evil Elf Ninja proclaimed as it wiped off its hands, "After all, Lord Kaos wants those Skylanders deader than dirt!"

The Evil Elf Ninja raised a curved blade with grew longer and sharper by the moment… But then another hand grabbed onto the blade before it could strike a single blow!

"Wait, hold on a second," The Evil Bambazooker interrupted as it scratched its head, "Didn't Lord Kaos say he wanted them alive, so he could torture them himself?"

"No, you oaf!" The Evil Elf Ninja snapped as it bonked the Evil Bambazooker on the head, "Lord Kaos would be much happier if they were finished off!"

"Hey, watch the stalks!" The Evil Bambazooker growled as it rubbed its head, which now had a sizable welt on it, "I still say he'd rather do it himself!"

"Kill them!"

"Capture them!"

"Kill them!"

"Capture them!"

"Kill them!"

"Capture them!"

The Evil Tree Ent winced and backed away as the Evil Bambazooker and Elf Ninja pushed against each others faces, their mouths drawn into scowls.

"Uh, guys," The Evil Tree Ent winced, "Shouldn't we hurry up and decide before the Skylanders—"

"QUIET YOU!" The Evil Bambazooker and Elf Ninja screamed as they glared at the Evil Tree Ent, their yells so loud they nearly blew the Tree Ent off its feet, "YOU'RE NOT A PART OF THIS CONVERSATI—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The Evil Bambazooker and Elf Ninja screamed as a gigantic chestnut bowled them over and stuck them to its spiky shell! Their screaming session was joined by the Evil Tree Ent, who screamed as well while the chestnut chased it all across their arena.

"Talk about skewed priorities," Stump Smash scoffed as he brushed himself off and turned back to Zook and Camo, "Anyways, let's go get the Eternal Life Source!"

"Right!" The other two chimed in as they fixed their eyes on the Eternal Life Source, which still glowed bright as it hovered in the center of the arena.

The three of them raced forwards, their earlier pain completely forgotten as they drew closer and closer to the Eternal Life Source. Whether it was the Life Source's power seeping into or the relief of finally being able to claim it and end this journey, they weren't sure, but nonetheless they ran!

However, their pain wasn't the only thing they forgot! While they ran, the Evil Elf Ninja caught sight of them and popped off of its chestnut prison!

"Stop running around like headless chickens!" The Evil Elf Ninja ordered as it summoned its blades once more and sliced the chestnut clean in half, "The Skylanders are getting away with the Life Source!"

The evil Bambazooker grunted as it fell face-first on the floor, then shook its head and pulled itself back to full stance!

"Not on our watch!" All three evil minions proclaimed as they all slid in front of the Eternal Life Source and threw Camo off!

Camo cried out as he flew straight into the evil minions' living barricade and landed straight into Zook's arms, but it hardly threw him off. Rather, his eyes sparkled with inspiration instead!

"Zook, use these!" Camo ordered as he jumped out of Zook's arms, then created some seeds and handed them over to Zook.

Zook nodded and dumped the seeds into his bazooka.

"Let's Zook it up!" Zook yelled as he clicked the trigger and sent the seeds soaring right towards the evil minions!

Right as the minions reached for the Eternal Life Source once more, the seeds landed on the ground… Then burst into a gigantic vine barrier that flung all three minions across the arena.

"Stump Smash!" Camo called as he raced forward, his eyes focused on the still-growing vines, "Give me a boost!"

Stump Smash charged after Camo, then rolled forward and slammed the ground beneath him and Camo! The sheer force of this attack not only tossed Camo in the air, but shot him right above the vines!

His eyes firm on the ground, Camo smiled as he caught sight of the Eternal Life Source… But then gasped as he saw that the evil minions were starting to get back up!

"Can't have that, can we?" Camo smirked, then clapped his paws and summoned a bunch of bright red chili peppers that just burst with life, "BOMBS AWAY!"

Camo released the peppers, then spun around and smacked them with his tail! The moment his tail hit the bombs, they all slammed into the evil minions and exploded in a cloud of red, seed-filled, eye-stinging smoke intermingled with strained screams! Camo grimaced as he fell down and watched the smoke clear, only to smile right as he disappeared under the cover of the vine barrier…

Because when the smoke had cleared, the evil minions were no more! All that remained of them a bunch of dark green spheres that faintly glowed against the light.

§

All was quiet as Chihiro, Spyro and Stealth Elf raced through the streets, the only soundtrack being their footsteps and the occasional breeze that tossed a tumbleweed here and there. It was… So unnerving to see things so quiet, almost, what with Kaos on the way and all.

"Now, it shouldn't be that hard to find him since he can't portal here," Spyro explained as he walked past Stealth Elf and Chihiro, "Chances are, he's probably at the docks if he's arrived."

Spyro took to the skies and looked down the way.

"The docks should be down this path." Spyro looked over to Stealth Elf, as if he was prompting her to reply.

"I believe so," Stealth Elf said with a nod.

While of two of them discussed directions, Chihiro clenched her teeth and turned back to the dead forests. She wasn't sure what it was about, but she could've sworn she heard someone talking in there—more guards, maybe? Either way, somebody should check it out, just in case. She turned one last glimpse towards Spyro and Stealth Elf, still knees-deep in conversation, then Chihiro turned around and ran straight towards the forest!

"Chihiro?" Spyro called as he turned around, "Where are you going?"

But, Chihiro only barely heard Spyro as she made her way through the dead trees and withered bushes. As she pushed forward and sneaked behind the bulkier foliage, the chattering sounds she heard grew louder and clearer, until whatever conversation they were holding finally came to light!

"Assuming you all took your fairy magic reserves before we arrived, all of us should have the upper hand over those pathetic Skylanders. Now, your job is to surround the facility's entrance and makes sure nobody gets in or out!"

Chihiro hid behind a collection of dead thrushes, then poked her head over them and examined the source of the conversation.

There, in a tree-filled clearing was a short, bald and super ugly-looking dude dressed in black robes, his stance tall and proud as he address a number of large troll and gremlin guards. Were those Kaos's minions? They had to have been… But why was Kaos himself nowhere in sight?

"Do you understand?" The bald man questioned, his high and scratchy voice like nails on a chalkboard.

"UNDERSTOOD, LORD KAOS!" The soldiers replied in unison as they saluted the man.

_Wait… No way! That ugly-looking dude's KAOS? _Chihiro thought as her eyes grew wide, their line of sight fixed on Kaos. That couldn't possibly be right… The guy who caused them so much trouble looked nothing like Chihiro had envisioned!

It was kinda funny, actually! Chihiro tried to suppress her laughter as she watched Kaos turn around and hold his head high, even though his underbite made him look more goofy than anything… But still, a couple muffled giggles escaped her mouth nonetheless.

However, they weren't muffled enough, because Kaos's eyes widened and he stopped in place.

"LAUGHTER?! WHO'S LAUGHING AT ME, THE ALMIGHTY LORD KAOSSSSS!?" Kaos demanded as he turned around, "I WILL NOT TOLERATE LAUGHTER IN MY MIGHTY EVIL PRESENCE!"

Chihiro made a soft gasp and ducked back behind the dead bushes. Crap, so much for stealth!

"GUARDS!" Kaos turned back to his guards and jabbed a finger at them, "CHANGE OF PLANS! FIND WHOEVER'S LAUGHING AT ME AND MAKE THEM PAY!"

"UNDERSTOOD, LORD KAOS!"

As marching surrounded the area, Chihiro clenched her teeth and clasped her heart, then looked down to find that she was no longer visible! Good, the power-up she got from Persephone still worked. She didn't have to worry about things just yet! Chihiro then closed her eyes and teleported away.

When she reappeared, she hovered just inches away from a large troll guard! As she hovered in mid-air, she formed a hammer in her hands out of magic and smacked the guard right in the head! As the guard fell unconscious, Chihiro teleported around and did the same thing to the other guards.

One by one, they all fell like flies, cold and unconscious. This surely got the attention of Kaos as he turned around, who turned around and watched in shock as the guards fell unconscious in a circle around him...

"What, what's going on? What are you incompetents doing?" Kaos demanded as he went up to one gremlin and kicked it in the arm, "You're not supposed to sleep on the job!"

After a few moments spent shouting curses at that guard, Kaos grew bored of harassing that guard and moved on to the next.

"Get up! Right now!" Kaos shook a fist at a sleeping troll, "Or I'll fire all of you! No, I'll toss you off the side of the island!"

As Kaos kicked his guards in the arms and yelled at them to wake up, Chihiro smiled. He was completely caught off guard! Now's her chance! Chihiro crafted a magic sphere, then shot it right towards Kaos… But before it could even get halfway across, he whipped around and shot an energy sphere right back at it! His own sphere slammed against Chihiro's in a collision so great, it caused them both to explode in a miniature supernova!

"Who's there?" Kaos made a snarl and shook his fist at the open, "Show yourself!"

"ME!"

Chihiro huffed, then landed back down on the ground right as her invisibility spell faded. Though Kaos seemed a little scarier than before, she wouldn't let herself get intimidated now. There was too much at risk for her to panic.

Kaos's jaw dropped wide open as he stepped back, but that surprise was only momentary. Afterwards, he merely smirked and clasped his hands.

"Well, well, if is isn't the Portal Master Imposter, all lost and alone without any of those _stupid _Skyblunderers to protect…" Kaos stopped short as his eyes grew wide, "Wait a second, Portal-Poster!"

Kaos burst into roaring laughter at his own stupid joke, laughter so intense he had to hold his sides tight!

Chihiro, however, was less than amused.

"I didn't come here for a comedy act, Kaos…" Chihiro proclaimed as she summoned another magic sphere and shot it at Kaos, "I came here to stop you!"

Kaos, ever-diligent, snapped out of his laughing fit immediately and crafted a shield of dark purple and red energy that neutralized the sphere immediately!

"I may have liked the sound of that joke…" Kaos released his shield and smirked, his hands flared with bright red and purple magic, "But, that doesn't mean you won't be DOOOMEEED!"

Chihiro winced as Kaos reveled in his own egotistical laughing fit, then looked down at her hands. If one energy sphere wasn't going to cut it, then maybe a bunch would do the trick! Chihiro balled her hands into fists as they glowed cyan, then lifted them to the skies and summoned a gigantic sphere! Chihiro cried out as she spun the sphere around and shot an entire barrage of magic spheres at Kaos…

Yet, Kaos didn't seemed concerned in the slightest! He waited and watched the spheres fly towards him with that ugly smirk on his face, then with a simple snap of his fingers they all vanished into thin air!

"What the heck?!" Chihiro exclaimed, before she growled and summoned a hammer magic of magic.

With a smack from her hammer, the gigantic sphere rocketed towards Kaos and slammed straight into him! The collision was so great that it created a magical explosion that engulfed the entire surrounding area!

Chihiro immediately threw up a shield, then let it go down as the light faded. All around her, the trees and other dead flora had been completely leveled—there was no way Kaos would've gotten through that!

But, the awful cackling noise she heard proven her wrong. As she looked to her front, she saw who else but _Kaos_, firm and proud and decidedly in one piece as he sat in the safety of a magic bubble!

"Did you really think those elementary school magic tricks would stop an evil mastermind like myself?" Kaos simpered as he snapped his fingers and watched the bubble receded into nothingness, "HA!"

Chihiro winced as her own shield fell. That was probably one of her strongest attacks, but Kaos completely deflected it like it was nothing! Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go in alone…

"Face it, portal-poster! You're a million years too early to face me!" Kaos summoned a gigantic crimson and violet magic flame, then lifted back his arm, "Now be a good portal-poster and stand there while I send you to YOUR ULTIMATE DOOM!"

As the flame shot forwards, Chihiro winced and immediately ducked down! Thankfully, the flame barely grazed her before it hurtled into the nothingness, never to be seen again.

"WHAT! HOW DID YOU DODGE THAT?" Kaos exclaimed as he stepped back and snarled, "I mean, that was just a warm-up, of course you'd dodge it!"—Kaos's smile returned to his face as he set his hands alight with magic fire once more—"You'll never be able to withstand my full power!"

Chihiro gritted her teeth, then dug her hands into the earth and closed her eyes. The magic bubbled in her veins as she teleported away and dodged the flames Kaos shot at her, all while he shouted obscenities and expressions of shock that barely rang within her ears! Soon enough, she had gone so far away from him that she could see what seemed like an exit!

"YOU FOOLISH WORM!" Kaos screamed as he chased after her, though his voice grew faded the further and further Chihiro ran, "GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME LIKE…"

_I've gotta get out here and find Spyro and Stealth,_ Chihiro thought as she bit her lip, _If we're all together, maybe we'll stand a chance!_

From her view, Chihiro could just barely see the ruined town that signaled the end of the forest! She was almost there! Once again, she tried to teleport her way out… But before she could move in inch, the magic cut out completely and she fell flat on her face!

"Thought you could escape me, didn't you?" Kaos crooned as he manifested before Chihiro, his awful, smug grin only widened by the second as he watched Chihiro try to scramble away from him…

Only to jump back as he cackled and teleported in front of her!

"You fool, there's no way someone like you could defeat me! You may think you're some big hero…" Kaos summoned a giant magic sphere with a wave of his hands and held it high above them both, "But in the end, you're nothing more than a helpless child impersonating a warrior!"

Chihiro growled as tears sting her eyes. Could this really be the end? Is this how she was going to die, alone in a dead forest at the hands of the enemy she swore she'd defeat… No, it couldn't be! She wouldn't let this be the end of her, no way!

"Now, stand there and let me show you what we do to you SO-CALLED HEROES!"

Kaos shot off his orb in an instant, and in one last act of defiance Chihiro threw a sphere of her own! The simple, tiny cyan magic sphere seemed like an ant compared to Kaos's own sphere… But then a gigantic fireball burst out of nowhere and fused with her sphere at the last second! With the sphere and fireball's combined power, Kaos's own sphere was extinguished in an instant!

"BUT HOW?!" Kaos exclaimed as he tumbled backwards, "THERE'S NO WAY A—"—Kaos grunted as something pushed him down on the ground and tied him up tight—"OOF!"

"Chihiro!" Spyro called as he flew up to Chihiro and pulled her back to her feet, "You alright?"

"I am now!" Chihiro chirped as she squeezed Spyro's paw tight, "You two got here just in time!"

"No kidding," Stealth Elf said as she appeared out of thin air and glared down Kaos, "You're lucky you survived, Chihiro!"

_You've got that right, _Chihiro scoffed from within her mind's confines. Right now, she was a bit too shaken to talk any more.

"YOU FOOLISH FOOLS!" Kaos screamed as he struggled against his vine bonds, "DO YOU REALLY THINK SOME SIMPLE VINES ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD THE MIGHT OF KAOSSSSSSSSSS?"

"Quiet, you!" Stealth Elf hissed as she went to lift up Kaos… Only for the bonds she had tied him with to completely unravel!

Kaos smirked as he pulled himself back to his full, albeit unimpressive, height, then glared down Spyro, Chihiro and Stealth Elf. His hands twitched while red and purple embers crackled at their tips. Everything had grown tense, as if they were waiting any second now for the fight to begin… Only for a series of loud beeps to echo through the battlefield!

"That noise…" Kaos whispered, his eyes wide as he rolled up his sleeve, took a glance at the communication device on his wrist, then smirked and let his sleeve fall back over it, "I'm sorry to disappoint, Skylosers, but I have important manners to attend to!"—Kaos's eyes glazed over his unconscious guards—"But, I'll leave you with a little treat!"

Kaos snapped his fingers, and from his fingertips flares of energy jumped away and delved into the guards' chests! One by one they pulled themselves off the dead ground and lunged up, their eyes and bodies a'glow with power.

"Minions!" Kaos pointed to Spyro, Stealth Elf and Chihiro, "ATTACK!"

Kaos's smirking face was the last everyone saw of him as he teleported away, but with the guards lunging towards him they hardly had a moment to scoff at him!

Spyro immediately charged into a guard and knocked them sideways, with just enough time spared to torch down several others with a flame as bright as the morning sun.

Chihiro, meanwhile, used magic to create twin giant gloves that grabbed two guards and smashed them together! Normally this would probably be the point where she'd make some kind of joke or witty crack, but… No. She was grunting and straining, as if she was distracted or unfocused… And in the process, she accidentally released them instead!

So, Stealth Elf slashed through the freed guards and knocked them out cold! As she looked over the unconscious guards to make sure they truly were unconscious, several others loomed over her… Yet, Stealth Elf seemed perfectly calm as she lifted up her head, twitched her ear and vanished right as they tried to dogpile her! Instead, they only got a scarecrow!

While the guards stumbled about from the nice concussion their dogpile gave them, a still very tense Chihiro turned to Spyro.

"Wanna end this?" Chihiro whispered, her voice so light it was more of a breath than anything.

Spyro only nodded as his eyes flashed a rich brown, then he flicked his wings and sent a number of sharp crystalline darts straight at the guards! These darts intermingled with a number of large magic orbs shot by Chihiro, then combined into a gigantic explosion that sent the guards around flying!

"Well, that's taken care of," Spyro said as he watched the guards crash down the skies, "Not exactly the way I expected, but…"— Spyro turned back to Stealth Elf and Chihiro—"Anyways, we need to get going! I'm sure the others could use some help!"

Stealth Elf and Chihiro nodded in agreement, then all three of them took their leave back to the castle. But, as they did, Chihiro couldn't stop herself from looking back to the dead forest while a twinge of pain or maybe numbness flared in her arm and made her hold it without noticing…

§

Camo smiled as he held the Eternal Life Source tight, then hopped off and rejoined Zook and Stump Smash.

"Looks like our work here is done!" Camo proclaimed as he strutted towards the exit, "Now, let's go—"

Camo jumped back as the entrance locked itself tight with a vine and wood barrier.

"HOME?"

All three of them gasped and turned around as echoing cackles erupted through their arena. At the center of it all, a familiar blue light sparkled into existence… Oh no, hopefully that wasn't…

"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kaos cackled as his gigantic, absolutely ridiculous floating head manifested into existence!

"Kaos!" Camo, Zook and Stump Smash all shouted at once, their confused faces quickly transformed into scowls.

"You again! Thought you could get away easy, could you?" Kaos crowed with a very self-serving smile on his face, "Well, YOU WERE UTTER FOOLS TO THINK THAT! THE MOST FOOLISH OF FOOLS, SO FOOLISH THAT…"

Kaos trailed off and scowled as he caught sight of the energy sphere remains that were once his minions, all scattered and cast among the stump field.

"Speaking of foolish fools…" Kaos gritted his teeth, "Those three can never do anything right! I don't know why I keep them around, especially that stupid tree!"—Kaos's eyes widened—"Actually, maybe I can make some use of them after all!"

Kaos's holograph glowed an even brighter shade of blue than before, and as it did those spheres began to shake. Just what was he up to? Camo had tried to step forward and examine… But then the light flashed so bright that it blinded everyone around!

And while they were completely blinded, nobody took sight of the spheres flying off and merging into one gigantic blob that strained and struggled… That is, until the light faded and the blob finally decided on a solid form!

And that form, it was so horrifying it made the Skylanders freeze in place! Why?

Because it was the three evil minions, as if they had been stitched together from haphazard pieces in a science lab! Its body was large, hulking, and had an entire row of tree stumps and wilted bamboo stalks on its back. Its face was entirely square with bloodshot eyes and a torn mask across its face while long, hole-filled bamboo leaves made up its hair, and its large body throbbed and pulsed and shuddered as if it could barely keep its form stable! It was like something out of a horror book!

"MINION!" Kaos proclaimed as the minion turned around and cocked its head at him, "Take back the Eternal Life Source for your ULTIMATE MASTER KAOS!"

"We won't let you!" Camo proclaimed as his eyebrows narrowed and his scales bristled like a cat's fur.

"HA, DON'T BE SO COCKY!" Kaos chided, his smile wide as his hodgepodge minion fell to the floor, "You will never possess the Eternal Life Source! After all, you face my super-powerful, newly-improved EVIL LIFE MINION!"

The Evil Life Minion lurched its head up and made a sickening roar, the kind that sounded like a dying animal's cry, then lunged back down and heaved heavy breaths as it glared down the Skylanders.

"Now, I will laugh as it tears up LIMB BY STUPID LIMB!" Kaos took a breath and grinned, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—"

And just like that, Kaos's holograph cut off—which the Evil Life Minion took as a sign to charge! It hooted and hollered as it ran on all fours towards the Eternal Life Source, perfectly ready to steal it away…

But before it could, a bunch of vines wrapped around the Source and yanked it towards Camo!

"I'll keep the Source safe!" Camo shouted as he grabbed the Eternal Life Source and held it tight, his eyes fixed on Zook and Stump Smash, "You two keep that freak of nature away!"

"Got it!" Stump Smash shouted back as he charged towards the Evil Life Minion.

"Understood, little buddy!" Zook proclaimed as he positioned his bazooka and pulled the trigger, "Let's see if this guy can TAKE THE BOOM!"

A fleet of thorny missiles shot out of Zook's bazooka and headed straight towards the Evil Life Minion, but it just yowled and swatted them away like they were flies!

"Huh?" Zook's jaw dropped open as he watched the Life Minion beat its chest, then he snarled as he fiddled with his bazooka, "Alright, maybe we need something more heavy-duty!"

Zook knelt down and rolled the barrel of his bazooka, his eyes fixed on that and only that. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, so unaware that he didn't even notice the Evil Life Minion pound towards him until it was just inches away from attacking!

Luckily, Stump Smash did! Before it could lay a blow, Stump Smash slid in front of Zook and slammed it right on the head!

The Minion groaned as it stumbled back, then whimpered as its head dropped right off of its body and dissolved right into a pile of sticky purple energy that seeped into the cracks of the stump.

Stump Smash's face grew pale (Well, as pale as a tree could get, anyways), while he held a hand over his mouth.

"Disgusting…" Stump Smash gagged as he just barely prevented himself from throwing up.

And the Evil Life Minion seemed just as confused as a new head slowly bubbled into existence! It grunted and looked around, then patted its bulky hands all over its new head… Which gave Zook the perfect opportunity to get up and shoot!

Just like that, large bamboo mortars pushed the Minion on its back, then while it struggled the mortars exploded and sent bamboo sprouts everywhere around it, an ironic cage for a creature composed partly of a bamboo being. The Evil Life Minion groaned and cried as it got back to its feet, then it squeezed the bamboo and glowed a bright green. While it glowed, the bamboo around it slowly grew brown and wilted, and the monster itself grew even brighter while its arms grew much more muscular…

But it didn't get much time to appreciate this, because Stump Smash jumped forward and slammed it right in the face with his hammers! As it fell on its back once more, its muscular legs flailed about, the Evil Life Minion cried in pain and held its sore face.

"And stay down," Stump Smash scolded as he shook a hand at the Evil Life Minion…

Right as blue light broke the scene!

They all stood and bore their attacks as Kaos reappeared, but this time he didn't seem ready to rather. Rather, Kaos seemed… Kind of contemplative as he looked over the fight.

"Hmmm… If you won't yield to my Evil Life Minion…" Kaos's holographic head began glowing a little bright than before, "THEN MAYBE THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND!"

Just like that, the sound of his cackles was replaced by… Buzzing? Yes, the buzzing of what sounded like a very angry swarm of insects! As the buzzing grew louder and angrier, everybody poked their heads up and looked around.

"Incoming!" Camo exclaimed as he pointed a claw to the horizon, where a giant buzzing cloud got ready to land, "Angry bugs at four'o'clock!"

Everybody screamed and scattered, but the bugs were much faster than they were! Before they even knew it, they were surrounded by those swarms of angry bugs—and the bugs' bite was just as bad as their bark!

"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo, you stupid bugs!" Camo demanded as he flailed his paws in some faint attempt to make the bugs leave, "You give me enough grief at the garden as is!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR MAKING ME BREAK OUT THE TOTALLY EVIL LIFE SPELL OF ULTIMATE DEATH!" Kaos shouted as he directed his gaze towards the Evil Life Minion, "YOU, MINION!"

The Evil Life Minion grunted, then turned around and pointed towards itself.

"YES, YOU!" Kaos boomed as his holographic head flickered in and out of existence, "THIS IS THE LAST TIME I'M HELPING YOU! NOW GET THE ETERNAL LIFE SOURCE FOR ME, OR ELSE!"

And just like that, Kaos disappeared once more—not that the Skylanders noticed, what with the ongoing infestation and all!

As he shooed the bugs away, it was like Camo had completely forgotten about the Eternal Life Source and Kaos! He didn't even notice that the vines he had sealed it with had slowly began to unravel and receded into the earth… However, the bugs certainly did! After all, they were quite quick to snag the Eternal Life Source and fly off with it.

"Hey, give that back!" Camo demanded as he spotted and promptly chased after the insect thieves, "That isn't for you to steal!"

However, the bugs paid no mind to Camo and continued to fly off! Camo growled, then opened his mouth and shot a fireball right at the bugs! It was so fast and so hot, those bugs didn't even see it coming—they could only watch in horror as it fried a hole in their swarm! This warning formally taken, the other bugs scattered in such a panic that they didn't even care that they had dropped the Eternal Life Source!

Camo smiled and hopped over to claim the Eternal Life Source… But before he could, the Evil Life Minion caught sight of him and growled. It lunged forward, then opened up its mouth and shot an entire barrage of chestnuts that slammed right into the unsuspecting Camo!

"OOF!" Camo exclaimed as the chestnuts tossed him aside, his body now covered in visible stickers and scratches. While the chestnuts broke or rolled somewhere else, Camo brought himself back to his feet, then promptly lost his balance and fell on his face.

"H-hey, why's everything spinning around?" Camo groaned, barely able to stay on his paws as he tried to locate the Source, "Where'd the Source go?"

Camo looked to his right, then beamed as he fumbled and swung his way over to some bright green blur ahead. "Found it!"

Camo smiled as he grabbed the Eternal Life Source and went to take it back to safety… Or at least, he would have, if something didn't keep pulling it away from him!

"Camo, what are you doing?" Zook asked as he pulled the Eternal Life Source closer to himself.

"Zook, quit being stubborn and give me the Source!" Camo insisted as he continued pulling on the Eternal Life Source, though his paws could barely keep their grip, "I need to take it back to safety!"

"Camo, that's my bazooka!" Zook pointed a hand a little ways across… Maybe, Camo couldn't really tell, "The source is right over—"—Zook jumped as something big and murky nearly bulldozed him and Camo over—"THERE!"

Camo himself was already so unsteady that the rapid blow knocked on right on his back! He frowned and shook his head, then blinked a couple times as if his vision had finally returned to him.

"Hey, everything's clear now!" Camo chirped as he got up and bolted after the Eternal Life Source. However, while his vision had returned to him, his balance certainly hadn't, as he immediately tripped and fell on his face again!

"Owch!"

Camo got up and shook his head, then his jaw dropped as he caught sight of the Evil Life Minion reaching out for the Eternal Life Source! He pushed himself back to trembling feet and got ready to charge… But before he could, he fell back down and shuddered.

Thankfully, shrapnel shot out beside him and knocked the minion off of its feet! As the Minion rams into a nearby tree, Zook barreled out and snagged the Eternal Life Source from under the Evil Life Minion's nose!

"Safe!" Zook proclaimed as he skidded back in with the Eternal Life Source, then got up and shook himself off, "Anyways, you alright, Camo? You seem kind of…"

Zook grimaced as he looked over Camo, whose normally green scales had grown droopy and pale while Camo himself was barely able to keep his head up.

"Not lively, heh."

Camo just groaned and held his head.

"I'm getting there, I swear. Just…" Camo winced and laid down on the floor, "Give me a minute."

Camo closed his eyes and curled up for a moment while soft snores resounded around him… Then he and Zook both practically jumped out of their skin as they heard a familiar scream!

"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU ABSOLUTELY PESTS!" Stump Smash wailed as he barged through with a bunch of insects hot on his tail, "I'M NOT THE KIND OF TREE YOU EAT!"

"Stump Smash, look out!" Zook and Camo shouted in unison.

But, Stump Smash didn't hear them! He was too busy flailing and running amuck as he tried to get the insects off of his tail! Before he even knew it, he had hit Zook right on the head!

Zook groaned and stumbled back as he rubbed the nicely-sized bump that had formed on his head. As he finally regained his senses, he frowned then opened and closed his hands.

"Wait a second…" Zook said as he looked down at his now-visibly empty hands, "Where's the Eternal Life Source?"

A loud, pleased rumble bellowed around the way, and in turn drew everyone's attention back to the Eternal Life Source—and the Evil Life Minion, who was just a few steps away from stealing it!

"Not today, you!"

With a couple quick coughs, Stump Smash hacked up a few chestnuts then cracked them open to reveal the rich, juicy meat. With a smile, he watched as all the bugs that tormented him immediately lost interest in him and went to eat the nuts instead… Then his eyes widened.

"I've got an idea!" Stump Smash looked around and narrowed his eyes, "Anybody here got anything sticky?"

"You bet I do!" Exclaimed a now fully rested and recovered Camo as he held up a paw, "In fact, I've got the pearfect thing!"

With a couple quick snaps of his claws, Camo summoned an entire arrangement of explosive fruit! Watermelons, pears, apples and more much all manifested in his paws, all overly-ripe and ready to blow.

"Zook, you know what to do!" Camo nudged the fruit over to Zook and smiled.

"Do I?" Zook asked as he frowned and scratched his chin, only for his frown to transform into a beam as he looked at the Evil Life Minion, "Actually, I do!"

With a few swings, Zook tossed the explosive fruit right at the Evil Life Minion!

And it was so quick, the Life Minion could only turn around and watch as the fruit exploded and covered it in sticky juice and pulp! The Minion wailed like a child as it wiped the pulp from its eyes, then screamed as a bunch of chestnut meat flew right at it and stuck to the rest of the juice still on it!

And with a buffet like this, those bugs couldn't help themselves! They immediately swarmed after the Evil Life Minion and chased it in circles around the battlefield.

More importantly, this also left the Eternal Life Source open for the taking! Camo was quick to sweep it up in its grasp, then sealed it tight within the safety of his vines.

"To the gates, now!" Stump Smash ordered.

The three of them were quick to heed Stump Smash's command as they raced to the gates, but just before they could get there… They heard a roar. A loud, mighty, _furious _roar so great it shook the whole area and made leaves fall from the canopy of trees above!

As they all shuddered and tried to keep their balance, the Evil Life Minion jumped right in front of the gate, its landing so intense that it blew them on their backs! The Evil Life Minion made a low growl as it saw the bugs that still flocked towards its food-covered body, then that low growl changed to a great roar! And as it roared, both it and the bugs around glowed green…

Then the fruit remains withered and dried while the bugs all dropped dead at once!

Zook's eyes practically bulged out of his head as he knelt down and examined the dead bugs, whose corpses soon exploded in faint lights that faded away immediately. He was so shocked he could barely look away until the Evil Life Minion slammed its fist on the ground and forced him to look up!

"What… What happened to that thing?" Zook asked, his eyes wide with fright.

"I don't know…" Stump Smash replied as he stepped back, his teeth clenched tight.

"But it isn't pretty, that's for sure!"

Camo was right—the Evil Life Minion was more monstrous than ever! Its eyes had become compound like bugs' eyes were, while gigantic, torn wings sprouted from its back. Rotted, wrinkled fruit hung from its back while its skin bubbled and popped, almost as if all the raw energy that pulsed within its body could barely be contained.

With everybody around captivated in fear, the Evil Life Minion stomped the ground and summoned massive bamboo plants filled with ripe, purple and green striped chestnuts! It stomped again, and these chestnuts all crashed onto the ground.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Zook whimpered as he raised his hands.

Zook immediately created a bamboo barrier at just the right moment—because after those chestnuts landed, they exploded into a barrage of gigantic meat chunks and thorns!

"That thing sure is persistent…" Stump Smash grunted as he gritted his wooden teeth, "Looks like we need a new plan!"

However, they didn't get much time to make one, because right then, gigantic, purple liquid-laden vines smashed right through Zook's barrier! The liquid from the vines dripped off and coated the barrier's remains, which in turn melted the remains until there was nothing but a visible crater left.

Now free of their poison, the vines wrapped themselves around Camo, Zook and Stump Smash and squeezed them tight. They tried their best to fight back, but with every twist and squeeze of this vines, it was like their energy was being drained straight from them! Before they knew it, they had grown so weak they could only pant and try their best to keep their eyes open!

And worse yet, those vines were connected to the Evil Life Minion, so every little bit of energy they sapped went straight to it! It grew stronger and stronger from all the energy it absorbed, taller and more grisly... And they could do nothing to stop it.

Thankfully, the vines withdrew soon enough and dropped them onto the floor, though their weakened states made their landing all the more painful. Camo, Zook and Stump Smash all winced as the Evil Life Minion drew closer and closer, its hand raised to reveal sharp, poison-covered claws that would surely bring about their end…

Then it turned its gaze to the side and stormed away! The three of them all blinked in confusion, then gasped as they saw just what it was headed towards—the Eternal Life Source! In all this panic, everybody had completely forgotten that it was tossed during the Life Minion's attack!

"Oh no…" Zook croaked as he dug his hand into the ground and tried to pull himself ahead, only to collapse in a shaking, weak heap.

"Get, away," Camo grunted as he used every bit of strength left in his body to crawl forward, "From the source…"

The Evil Life Minion took one look down at Camo, then grumbled and flicked him away! With Camo quickly forgotten, it grinned and wrapped its claws around the Eternal Life Source, then its whole body rippled and pulsated like a beating heart as the Life Source's energy flooded into it.

And worse yet, it had grown bigger and bigger by the second! By the time it had grown bored and went back to attack the Skylanders, it was as large as some of the tallest trees in the Great Forest!

The Skylanders could only watch as it cackled, its laughter so intense that it blew the leaves right off the nearby trees while its entire body bubbled and shook.

"Crap, how are we gonna beat this?"

The Skylanders could only watch in terror, completely frozen to the spot, for unfortunately they knew the answer. They couldn't. It was far too big and powerful for them to beat in their current state! All they could do was close their eyes as it raised its fist and got ready to squash them like bugs… But by some miracle, that didn't happen! They just heard a splat, then opened their eyes to see that the Life Minion's fist had fallen onto the ground and splattered like a gigantic raindrop, then seeped into the stump.

The Life Minion was just as confused as they were going by the way it growled and looked at the stump that once held a hand, then it cried in pain as even more parts of its body began to explode and rapidly reform! That gunky energy substance it was made off became paint splattered to a natural canvas as it rained nearly everywhere, all while the Evil Life Minion wailed and moaned in utter horror…

Then the Life Minion was completely blocked off by a rapidly growing barrier of vines! On the other side of the barrier, the monster growled and pounded away, but no matter what it threw at that barrier, it stood tall and firm!

The Skylanders all watched in amazement, then blinked as the Eternal Life Source hovered above them.

"Wait a second…" Zook whispered, a bit of light in his eyes as he glanced at the Eternal Life Source, "Are you protecting us?"

The Source glowed a little brighter as if it was affirming this and lowered itself to their level.

"Thanks, man!" Zook beamed, "Now we can actually make a plan!"

Despite the pounding sounds of the Evil Life Minion's attacks, the strength of the Eternal Life Source's barrier brought them a level of comfort and security. With the power of their element on their side, there was no way they could fall!

"Did you see that, when it lost its hand?" Camo asked as his eyes bounced between Zook and Stump Smash.

As both of them nodded, Camo made a frown and scratched his claw against his cheek.

"I don't think that minion can handle all that power…" Camo's small frown turned to a big grin, "Maybe, if we overload it with life energy, we can take it down!"

"And how'll we do that, exactly?" Stump Smash asked.

"Did you notice how it absorbed all that energy from others?" Camo smiled as the other two nodded, "We'll just have to trick it into absorbing the life energy from our attacks until it bursts like a ripe watermelon!"

Camo winced as the barrier took an incredibly loud pound and looked up. "Gonna take a lot of attacking, though…"

They all examined the still-raring Evil Life Minion for a few moments more, then were drawn away from it by the Eternal Life Source glowing even brighter than before! The glow came with a jolt of energy that made all three Skylanders shudder.

"Lemme guess, you wanna help too?" Stump Smash inquired as he looked towards the Eternal Life Source.

The Eternal Life Source flickered for a moment as if to say yes, then nudged itself closer to Camo, Zook and Stump Smash. In turn, the three of them all smiled and placed their hands on the Source, then they were bathed in a bright green light while the vine barrier went down at last!

The Evil Life Minion leaped back in shock and threw its arms in front of its face to protect it from the intense light… Only for both of those arms to fall down and expose it full force! The light flickered out for mere moments, exploded and blew the Evil Life Minion back for a change! It screamed as it slunk down from a wall of trees and left behind a noticeable stain, then it opened its eyes just in time to see three silhouettes emerge from the light bomb…

"Can't keep it together, buddy?" Stump Smash's voice remarked while the sound of hammers banging together resounded across the forest, "Good!"

Sure enough, Camo, Zook and Stump Smash all emerged from the Eternal Life Source's glow, and they were more than ready to fight! They stood tall and proud while an aura of power glowered around them, one that was only emphasized by their confidence.

And yet, it did little to intimate the Evil Life Minion, who only growled and dug its newly-regrown claws into the wooden floor! With another roar, it opened its mouth… And out came a swarm of gigantic, angry bees!

"I'll handle these guys!" Zook proclaimed as he tapped his feet against the floor and summoned a gigantic patch of bamboo!

The force from the bamboo's immediately growth hurtled Zook into the air. In his moment of flight he flipped his bazooka around and sent a wave of gigantic thorn missiles right at the bugs! The missiles exploded in mid-air and completely wiped out the bugs, though that was hardly their end.

From the clouds of spores and smoke, spiky cacti mortars emerged with their path dead-set on the Evil Life Minion!

As he landed back onto his bamboo perch, Zook crafted a mushroom cap shield and positioned it in front of him, just in case… But no anticipated explosions happened. Rather, the Evil Life Minion simply grabbed Zook's mortars and sucked the boom right out of them!

As the mortars' empty husks clattered against the floor, the Life Minion fell to its knees and shuddered. That recent burst had clearly been a lot for it, as its leafy hair fell out all at once and its wings crumpled in on themselves while its skin became magma, bubbling and popping as if it was ready to erupt!

"It's my turn now!" Stump Smash proclaimed as he jumped out of one leaf's way and banged his hands together.

Stump Smash stampeded forward and pounded away at the Life Minion's kneecaps, but it didn't wanna give up yet! It snarled, then pulled itself up and created a gigantic cloud of purple and green smoke!

Zook and Camo watched as it backflipped over them, but Stump Smash hadn't even noticed! It wasn't until the smoke cleared that he stepped back and found…

"A decoy?" Stump Smash whipped his head right and left, "Where'd the real thing go?"

Stump Smash gulped as a loud rumble sounded underneath his feet. "Actually, I think I might have FOUND ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"

Before he could even retaliate, a gigantic, springy sprout bounded to life under Stump Smash's feet and vaulted him straight towards the Evil Life Minion! It opened its mouth as if to attack, but Stump Smash was quick to retaliate! Like a machine gun he sent a rapid-fire barrage of giant chestnuts straight at the Life Minion, filling its mouth before it could even shoot back.

Instead, the Evil Life Minion fell backwards and ate all the chestnuts in one bite! Its stomach growled and bubbled, but despite its massive stomachache it still forced itself to trudge forward… Then fell flat on its face while its legs dissolved into goop.

Stump Smash smiled as Camo's vines wrapped around him and gently dropped him back on solid ground.

"Will you do the honors, Camo?" Zook asked as he turned to Camo.

Camo nodded, then crafted a giant watermelon underneath his paws. The watermelon grew riper, riper, ripest, then finally it exploded and shot Camo towards the Evil Life Minion! Once he was close enough in range, Camo tossed out several large chili pepper bombs, then spun around and smacked them straight at the Evil Life Minion!

The Evil Life Minion tried to get away, but without its legs it was a sitting duck, literally! It could only watch as the peppers landed in its chest and exploded, sending the rest of its body everywhere! The Evil Life Minion moaned as its head slunk down from an avalanche of magical goop, then it looked around and screamed as it finally realized that its body was entirely gone.

"Now…" Camo said as he cascaded down on a vine's leaf and hopped next to Stump Smash and Zook, "Why don't we finish this for real?"

"Gladly!" Zook and Stump Smash shouted in unison.

The three of them fixed their eyes on the Evil Life Minion's still-panicking head, then raised their weapons and fired!

All at once, a fireball as bright and hot as the sun, a gigantic thorn mortar and a chestnut the size of a boulder barreled towards the Evil Life Minion's head, fused into one and made contact!

The impact was so great a gigantic explosion enveloped the area for mere moments, which forced Zook to summon a barricade of cacti. Then, as the light and barrier faded, everybody beamed.

Why? Well, perhaps because the Evil Life Minion was finally gone!

Instead, its spheres littered across the area and vanished in a puff of smoke, while the Eternal Life Source hovered in front of the Skylanders and glowed. The three of them nodded, then placed their hands back on the Eternal Life Source and returned its borrowed power.

"Man, talk about a thorn in our side," Camo remarked as the transfer finished and he scooped the Eternal Life Source back into his paws, "I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough fighting for one day!"

"I don't know…" Zook said as he rubbed his chin, "I think Stumpy is still raring to go!"

"Is that a challenge, Zook?" Stump Smash replied as he raised an eyebrow at Zook.

The two of them locked eyes for moments, then two pairs became three as Camo shot them a glare.

"Don't even start."

Stump Smash and Zook stared for a few moments, then chuckled and wrapped their arms around each other. "JUST KIDDING!"

"You better be!"

As the two of them laughed, Camo made a small chuckle of his own and gazed over the main entrance. The wooden barrier that gated it off had finally receded, they could go back now!

"Anyways, how about we head home and get this little sprout," Camo said as he lifted up the Eternal Life Source, "Back in the Corre?"

And so, they all made their way back to the beginning of the area, not one argument raised between them...

§

All breath was bated as the elevator lurched to a stop, then slowly drew open to reveal… A gigantic laser that soared just above Hex's head and zapped the elevator's walls! Everybody gasped and ducked, then lifted their heads as they heard a familiar worried chatter.

"Double Trouble!" Cali called as she pulled herself back to her feet.

Sure enough, there in front of them was Double Trouble! He was frantic as he held his staff tight and cut through waves of foes with beams of sheer eldritch magic, but the look of concern on his face showed he wasn't entirely sure if he could keep this up! Double Trouble breathed a slight sigh of relief as he looked over towards the quintet, but frowned as his eyes fell on the still-weak Persephone and Aura.

"It's a long story," Cali panted as she followed Double Trouble's gaze, "We'll explain later. For now, we have to shut this place down!"

Double Trouble nodded, then spun his staff as high as he could! As he spun it round and round, a gigantic purple cloud streaked with rainbows formed below the ceiling!

The soldiers all looked above in confusion, seemingly entranced by this strange cloud… Then yelped and jumped out of the way as gigantic eldritch thunderbolts struck the ground beneath their feet! But, they weren't going to get away so easily! The ground rattled beneath everyone's feet, which caused anyone who hadn't been struck by lightning to unceremoniously fall flat on their faces!

While the guards raced about in a panic, Cali jumped out of the elevator with Hex close by her side.

As they all piled out, Aura and Persephone pulled themselves back to full flight.

"Come now," Persephone said as she turned her attention to the panels, "We have the luckiest opportunity!"

Calliope and Aura nodded, then followed Persephone as she flew through the crowds. The three of them were perfectly masked by the cover of conflict as they dodged the guards and fell towards the abandoned parts of the floor. It was completely perfect—nothing could stop them from shutting this place down now!

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Shouted a voice that came from seemingly nowhere!

Calliope, Aura and Persephone all froze in place as a bunch of troll soldiers dropped from the ceiling and blocked off the way further. Their lances were just as sharp as their lancing gazes, and their shiny, sleek armor was only enhanced by the cyan-colored glow of its power buttons. Clearly, they meant business!

"Thought you could sneak out, did you?" Asked the head of the ground as they pointed their lance at Persephone, "Think again, you obnoxious sprites!"

Calliope snarled, then flew in front of Persephone and Aura with hands outstretched.

"Don't worry," Calliope said as her hands glowed with a red flare, "I'll take care of—"

"COWABUNGAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Before Calliope could even launch an attack, a gigantic ocean wave made of magic soared above the trio and crashed right onto the troll soldiers! While the soldiers flailed and cried out as they were washed away by the flood, Calliope turned around and smiled.

"Young honorable Chihiro!" Persephone called as she looked over Calliope's shoulder.

"You bet it's me!" Chihiro shouted back as she ran up and gave them a thumbs up, "We'll take care of these guys, just focus on finding the switch!"

"Understood!"

Persephone turned back to Calliope and Aura, then grab their hands and flew further down the way. Soon enough, the fighting was little more than background noise to the sound of beeps and mechanical chirps as they found themselves in a room filled with gigantic machines!

"If my memory serves me right," Aura remarked as she scratched her chin, "This should be where the power switch is!"—Aura flitted over to the various machinery and all its panels, then winced and bit her nails—"But which one of these is it?…"

Calliope fluttered over to another panel and began pressing a few multi-color buttons.

"Maybe it's one of these?" Calliope suggested under the sound of beeps and whirs.

As she pressed the buttons, all sorts of things happened on the battlefield across! Disco balls dropped from the ceiling and spread rainbow lights everywhere they went, parts of the floor folded up and down, confetti rained from the ceiling… But nothing shut the place down!

"Here, let me try!" Aura exclaimed as she flew over and pulled down a large lever.

In response, a gigantic panel in the ceiling opened up and dropped a large cake on the floor!

"Nope, that's definitely not it!" Aura winced as she pressed a few more buttons, completely ignorant to the soda-scented wave that washed away a few trolls as it flooded down the halls.

"Maybe if I twist these knobs…" Persephone remarked as she turned a few dials…

Only for several large robots to come out of the shadows!

"CLEANUP ON FLOOR THREE, CLEANUP ON FLOOR THREE!" The robots proclaimed in mechanical voices as they approached Persephone.

Persephone turned around and screamed, then clumsily turned the knobs backwards and watched the robots recede back into the shadows.

"Which one of these is it?" Aura exclaimed at last as she tugged on her hair.

As Aura caught her breath, a twinkling sound was heard while something shimmered between her and Persephone—Chihiro!

"Girls, what's the holdup?" Chihiro asked as she finally teleported over and patted confetti and candy wrappers out of her hair, "We can't hold off these guards forever!"

"We know, we're trying!" Calliope called from across the panels, "But there's so many buttons here, we can't tell which one's supposed to deactivate the thing!"

Chihiro frowned, then pulled a facility map from the nearby desks.

"But, it's supposed to be on this floor…" Chihiro whispered as she turned the map around, "Unless…"

Chihiro summoned a bright, magical light, then shone it over the map. "That's it!"

Chihiro handed over the lit map to the fairies, which unveiled an arrow pointed towards a nearby passageway under the light of Chihiro's sphere.

"It's hidden in a secret compartment!"

"Thanks a lot," Calliope said as she beamed and snagged the map from Chihiro, "We'll take it from here!"

Chihiro nodded, then turned around and shot a wave of spheres at some incoming troll soldiers.

With the cavalry holding things back for the time being, no time was to be wasted! Calliope held the map tight as she followed its trail, her eyes fixed on its paper surface. The map itself had drawn them all into a more secluded part of the base, one far away from the staff's prying eyes.

"Alright, if the map is correct it should be right around…" Calliope bit her lip and looked up, "Here?"

Calliope winced as she looked down at the map, then poked back up to the spot it led to. There before them, a bulky troll completely blocked the way to the place they needed to go while it took a quick snooze!

"They've got guards!" Persephone gasped as she and Aura flew to Calliope's side, "Now what should be do? There's no way we can dance around it without waking it up…"

"I doubt that we're in any condition to fight them…" Aura whimpered as she looked down at her hands.

"Leave it to me!" Calliope proclaimed as she flew ahead and shook a fist at the guards, "HEY, UGLY! OVER HERE!"

The guard grunted as they cranked their head upwards, their nap completely forgotten, then gasped as they caught wind of Calliope!

"How did you fairies get out?" The guard exclaimed before they shook their head, "You know what? Don't even answer that!"—The guard snarled and cracked their knuckles—"I'll throw you back in myself!"

The guard charged towards them at rapid speeds, then stopped completely as Calliope zapped them with a blood red lightning bolt! Calliope grunted as she levitated the guard in midair, presumably to sap their power… And yet, the guard didn't look any worse for wear! In fact, they immediately broke free of the spell and went to punch Calliope!

Calliope was swift enough to dodge, but that wasn't enough to dissuade the guard who continued to swipe and grab at her.

"Go now!" Calliope ordered as she dodged another blow then looked back at Persephone and Aura, "There isn't much time!"

Persephone and Aura took quick heed of Calliope's words as they flew past the guard and into the facility they guarded.

It was a rundown place, quite unlike the more technologically advanced areas they had seen prior. It was cold and rusted and full of bare machinery and stray panels, like it hadn't been maintained in years, and the sharp creaking and hissing noises that echoed around the area served to exemplify this fact.

"I don't like the looks of this place, Lady Persephone…" Aura whispered as she trembled and clung to Persephone.

"Neither do I, Aura," Persephone admitted as she clasped Aura's hand tight, "But, we must dance onwards! We can't possibly—"

"Lady Persephone, look out!"

Just as Aura pulled away Persephone, a gigantic frayed wire fell down from the ceiling and sparkled everywhere! The shock from its fall was great enough that it forced them to catch their breath, but not for long. Moments afterwards, even more wires and paneling and assorted rusted machinery began raining down from the ceiling.

"This way, Aura!" Persephone proclaimed as she flew around the falling machinery with a dancer's elegance.

Aura's breath was heavy with panic as she followed Persephone, all while they both dodged falling machinery, literally electrifying wires and all sorts of other troubles. Would this come to an end soon? Would this be the end for them, as the wreckage slowly began to block off near-everything around them?

"There it is!" Persephone proclaimed as she pointed ahead, "The switch!"

There in front of them, a gigantic switch rested on a panel striped with yellow and black tape. Surely, this was what they were looking for!

The two of them lunged towards the switch, but frozen as the ceiling above them began to creak. They looked up, then screamed as a particularly large back panel from a nearby machine came loose and crashed down on them!

All went dark for moments as both stood wide-eyed, then finally Aura thrust her hands out in front of her and froze the panel into place!

"Aura!" Persephone exclaimed as Aura strained to keep the paneling from crushing them both, a bit of hesitation in Persephone's own eyes.

"Lady Persephone, please hurry!" Aura begged, her voice and gaze strained as she put her all into holding up the machinery… But then it grew solemn, more confident even.

"Don't worry about me, Lady Persephone. If it's to save our home…" Aura grunted, sweat streaked down her face as the panel she held up creaked higher and finally snapped back into place.

"I'll do anything!"

A glint of inspiration shone in Persephone's eyes as she nodded. With a soft hup, Persephone vaulted herself over to the switch's harboring platform, flitted ahead and flicked the switch!

"ALL SYSTEMS… DEACTIVATED," proclaimed a robotic announcer above them.

One by one the lights shut off, but the blanketing darkness was hardly enough to dissuade Persephone as she grabbed Aura's hand and rushed back out! The sound of crumbling debris and pieces of metal crashed all around as Persephone created a sphere of sparkling blue light, a bit of a guide in all this darkness.

Persephone cried out in shock as she nearly dodged being flattened by a loose ceiling panel, then dove under some split tubes and flew over a sizzling halved cable. The lights were going out faster, but there was still some left to show the way back down! However, with all this debris to outrun things would be risky… Just then, Persephone's eyes widened as she was surrounded by a green glow!

She turned to her side to see an absolutely radiant Aura give her a gentle nod, a nod of understanding that Persephone was quick to return. Persephone leaned forward and flicked her wings, then zipped straight out of the passage at lightning speed! Before she even knew it, she was back in the heart of the first floor, Aura still at her side!

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Demanded one guard, "I—OOF!"

Before that one guard could even finish their sentence, they all fell in droves among the darkness with the culprits to their defeat being none other than the rest of Persephone's team!

"Persephone, you did it!" Chihiro exclaimed as she popped up in front of Persephone and hugged Persephone tight.

"Indeed I did, young honorable Chihiro," Persephone said as she smiled and returned Chihiro's hug for a few moments, only to pull away and turn serious, "But, it's not over yet. Come now, we must release everyone from those awful cages!"

Persephone and Chihiro nodded as they released their hug, then passed by the strings of now deactivated computers with only a moment's pause taken to survey the area.

Though the castle grounds had been completely wrecked, the Skylanders had done well to clear Kaos's cronies out of the area. Most of them were unconscious in some form, and the ones that were still somewhat conscious had been tied to chairs and poles with thick rope, probably awaiting arrest at this point.

And in the center of it all, the Skylanders and Cali stood by the elevator, their faces highlighted by the sphere of golden light Spyro had summoned.

"Ready to free some fairies?" Chihiro asked as she strutted up to Spyro and placed her hands on the elevator.

Everybody around her made cheers of delight as the elevator doors glowed underneath Chihiro's palms!

"THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR!"

With a swipe of Chihiro's hands, the elevator doors crept open with a bright, friendly ding! Everybody piled in immediately, then watched as the doors closed and soft, jazzy music played from the elevator's speakers.

"Now heading to the fourth floor…" Droned a mechanical announcer as the elevator heaved its way up then lurched to a stop, "You have arrived at the fourth floor."

Voices trickled into the elevator as its doors receded. Were those fairy voices? The doors fully withdrew at last to reveal that sure enough, they were!

From what it seemed, the fairies' magic had been returned to them, and slowly but surely they had begun rescuing one another from the magic pods! It was a magical, uplifting sight just seeing the fairies, once helpless and crying for rescue, taking their situation into their own hands!

Persephone watched in awe, then Chihiro smiled and urged her forwards with a gentle nudge. So, Persephone flitted forward and cleared her throat.

All at once, the fairies stopped what they were doing and turned to Persephone. Everyone was completely silent… For all of five seconds before the fairies began hooting and hollering with unadulterated glee all at once while they crowded around Persephone!

"The queen has saved us!"

"I knew you'd come back! I never gave up hope!"

"All hail the queen!"

"Now, now, this is a truly happy time…" Persephone chuckled as she gestured towards the rest of the team, "But I can't take all the credit!"

The fairies all gave Persephone confused glances or shared surprised mumbles among themselves.

"It was thanks to the efforts of everyone here that we were able to rescue you! The Skylanders, young honorable Chihiro, Aura, Calliope…" Persephone turned back to the rest of the team and bowed.

"On behalf of the entire fairy kingdom, I thank you!"

Everybody broke into wide smiles (Well, save for Hex who only made a small nod) as the fairies showered them in thanks!

But even though there was so much merrymaking going on, not all were relieved. Calliope shifted her way through the crowds then popped out from two particularly buff fairies, her eyes glinted with concern as she scanned the crowds like a lost child looking for their parents…

"Easy now, dear…" Whispered a buff fairy woman with lightly tanned skin who had her hair in tangled brown curls and her body dressed in torn clothes as she helped a skinnier fairy women with paler skin and a frazzled red bob for hair out of a pod, "Don't strain yourself."

"Mom! Mother!" Calliope called as she flew towards the two fairy women.

"Calliope?" The fairy women whispered as they stopped for a moment, then turned around and smiled. "It really is you!"

The three of them captured each other in one big, warm hug, the kind of hug people give when they haven't seen each other in ages. Their warmth was so infectious, it caught the attention of everybody else in the room!

"Well, I'd call this another job well done!" Chihiro remarked as she rubbed her first on her chest, "C'mon everyone, let's go home."

Everybody nodded and chatted in agreement as they turned around and headed back for the elevator… But then Chihiro froze and turned around to see Persephone still talking with her subjects.

"Persephone, aren't you coming?" Chihiro asked as she turned around to face Persephone.

"I'm afraid not, young honorable Chihiro," Persephone replied, a level of solemness in her voice as she shook her head, "As queen, it is my duty to care for my people, especially now that Kaos has been driven out…"

Persephone swirled her hands and summoned up some shiny sapphire pendants with bright blue butterfly wings attached to them, then handed the pendants over to Chihiro.

"But before we part, take these happy pendants. If you ever require my aid, just rub them thrice and I'll come immediately!"

"Thanks, Persephone!" Chihiro beamed as she stowed the pendants away in her pocket.

"Oh, right, you still need to get back home, don't you?" Calliope asked as she flew back to the others, "I'll fire up the ship!"

And so, they all parted ways with a nod. Chihiro lead the rest to the elevator, then with another magical swipe, the doors began to open as the elevator whirred to life once more. Before they left, however, Chihiro paused to wave back to the fairies that had gathered to bid them farewell.

"Thank you, Skylanders!"

"Show that Kaos who's boss for us!"

"We know you can do it!"

"Thank you, everyone!" Chihiro shouted as they all piled into the elevator, "We'll make sure that Kaos goes down!"

The fairies all cheered at Chihiro's words, though as the elevator doors closed nobody saw Chihiro bite her lip and hold her arm…

§

By the time the ship had parked at Ancient's Peak, night had already fallen and the skies had been painted with stars. Fireflies flitted to and fro across the island and added a bit of magic to the purple and blue colors of the night. But, this magic only slightly alleviated Chihiro's heavy heart as her eyes glazed over the crowds.

Chihiro stepped off of the boat, watched the others walk out of sight, then gazed over the island's heart. Even though everything seemed so happy and magical, she couldn't bring herself to smile—even though, by all accounts, she should be happy! They saved the Fairy Kingdom, helped Calliope reunite with her mothers, and even kept Kaos…

Oh, right… _Kaos, _who Chihiro nearly lost at the hands of!

"There you all are!" Hugo proclaimed as he walked up to Chihiro with book in hand, "And just in time, too! We were just about to return the Eternal Life Source to the Core!"

"Really?" Chihiro exclaimed as she jumped out of her thoughts and tugged on her collar, "That's great news, Hugo!"

"Come on, then!" Hugo shoved his book in Chihiro's hands and guided her towards the Core and the crowd that had formed around it, "We shouldn't keep everyone waiting!"

Phew, at least Hugo didn't notice her current state of mind. Chihiro wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it right now, what with everyone around and all. Chihiro trudged to the crowds and took a seat next to Hugo, her mind still in a tired haze as she gazed over the dimly-lit area.

Everybody gazed in awe as Hugo laid the Eternal Life Source near the Core of Light, its radiant green light striking against the firefly-dotted skies.

"Now, Chihiro," Hugo said as he walked back and cast a glance at Chihiro, "The book, please?"

Chihiro, however, gazed into space. Even though such a great victory had been won, and her little failure really shouldn't have mattered anyways, she felt… Strange. She wasn't sure how to put it, but something in her felt uneasy and in danger, like something was clearly wrong.

"Chihiro?" Hugo coughed into his hand and raised an eyebrow, "The book?"

"OH, RIGHT!" Chihiro exclaimed as she jolted up, then grabbed the book off the ground and handed it off to Hugo.

Hugo cleared his throat, then recited yet another ancient Skylandian incantation Chihiro couldn't possibly recognize the meaning of. As he did this, the Eternal Life Source slowly sank within the Core of Light's platform till its pretty green light was visible no more.

Though nothing seemed to happen for a few moments, Chihiro knew better. After all, she could vaguely hear the sound of straining, rushing roots and flora beneath her feet, like an earthquake ready to strike. Then from the ground sprouted two large flowers with svelte stems! Chihiro could barely make out the flowers' colors from the darkness, but they looked… Kinda reddish, maybe pink?

Each flower flanked a side of the Core and spat out shiny, golden pollen that fluttered in the midnight air as the fireflies did! It was… Really magical, just the very sight of something so peaceful and pretty.

But, even now, Chihiro couldn't possibly feel at ease. So, she just got up and walked out the crowds, her head hung down as she shifted through the Skylanders. Her feet took her to the more forested areas that lead to her quarters, but she wasn't quite ready to go to bed yet. Instead, she pushed through the trees until the forest cleared away and brought her to a cliff that faced the ocean. As the waves caressed the cliff face, Chihiro sat down and gazed up at the midnight skies, the stars and full moon a source of milky white light among the dark, encompassing blue.

"Hey, Chihiro," whispered a soft voice as something tapped Chihiro's shoulder.

Chihiro yelped and turned around, her hand encased in cyan light… But the light soon faded as she realized that it was just Spyro!

"Oh, it's just you," Chihiro said as she breathed a sigh of relief, then looked back at Spyro with a weak smile, "What's up, Golden Boy?"

"Is something wrong?" Spyro sat down next to Chihiro and swished his tail, "Ever since we got back from the Fairy Kingdom, you've been acting kinda weird."

"… Is it that obvious?" Chihiro's looked down and scratched the back of her head.

"You aren't worried about Kaos, are you?" Spyro cast Chihiro a frown, a bit of concern reflected in his golden eyes.

Chihiro was silent for a few moments, then finally she breathed another sigh as her cheeks flushed pink.

"To be honest… Yeah," Chihiro admitted as she looked up towards the moon, "Truth is, I had no idea just how strong he was 'till now!"—Chihiro forced a smile as she shook her head—"But, I'm not gonna let that stop me!"

Chihiro jumped to her feet, then pumped her fist towards the night sky.

"I'll just have to keep training and getting stronger! Hear that, Kaos?" Chihiro shook her fist as she jumped up and down, "I'll get stronger and stronger, and I'll keep protecting Skylands from you and your buddies!"

Spyro chuckled, then flew up to Chihiro's height and nodded.

"If that's the case, I'll head to bed, then," Spyro said as he flew back into the woods and waved to Chihiro, "See you in the morning!"

"See you in the morning, Golden Boy!" Chihiro turned around and waved to Spyro, and for a moment the strange feeling in her chest disappeared.

But, the moment she turned back to the sky, it returned yet again. All her mind could do was play back that fresh memory of her battle—and near-defeat—at Kaos's hands. Was it insecurity or worry that she felt? No, that didn't feel quite right. Whatever it was, however, it wouldn't leave Chihiro be, so she just went back to staring at the sky.

_Mark my words, Kaos, _Chihiro thought as she glared daggers towards the moon, as if she was sending it her message, _The next time we face each other, I'll be the one who wins!_

Chihiro then winced and looked aside, _I hope..._

* * *

**(Just as a general note for the future, CHS updates may be a little later than usual within the next few months. I've had a lot on my plate between school, personal obligations, working on CHS's current and future chapters, and other things, plus I've been dealing with a nasty bout of on and off writer's block/lack of motivation to write in general. Though I'll try my best to stay on schedule, please understand if newer chapters aren't on time!)**


	19. Chapter 19

**And now for chapter nineteen! Let me tell you all, this chapter definitely gave me a run for my money—it took me all two weeks to get it to where I wanted it to be! But, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out... Now, onto the next arc of the story!**

**Greenswitch: Glad to hear you enjoyed seeing Double Trouble in action! To be honest, that was part of the reason I decided on a rotating cast, actually—everybody has their favorites among the Skylanders and even the less popular ones have their fans, so I wanted them all to get a chance to shine! Plus, it was fun working out specific dynamics and character interactions, too...**

**Watch Seeker: Well, first of all I wanted to say that you calling Kaos a pumpkin made me laugh in real life! And as for Chihiro's training, well... You'll see! (Insert wink here)**

* * *

Though the air was chilly and sharp, the atmosphere around Ancient's Peak was more than warm enough as everybody went about their day. Unlike those other days before, the area bustled with life as the Skylanders lingered about and made conversation with the island's non-Skylander residents. For once, things were light enough on crime that they all could finally take the time to relax!

And Spyro was the one who enjoyed it most of all! As he laid down under the shade of a colorful tree and basked in the sun, it seemed as though for once, the weight had finally lifted off his shoulders for good.

"You seem awfully relaxed," Gill Grunt remarked with a smile as he took a seat next to Spyro, "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Well, what's there not to be happy about?" Spyro asked back as he looked to Gill Grunt, a shimmer of bliss in his golden eyes, "The Core's halfway finished, we've freed two whole kingdoms from Kaos's clutches, and more and more people have been fighting back against him!"—Spyro made a soft chuckle as he watched the clouds—"Which has definitely made our job easier."

"Agreed." Gill Grunt looked back at the bustling hub area and beamed wider, "I can't remember the last time we had a day this peaceful!"

Spyro paused for a moment as the wind brushed against his scales, then lifted his head towards the skies.

"Truth be told, it feels like everything's finally coming together!"

Spyro grinned as he turned back to Gill Grunt, then raised his eyebrows as he heard what sounded like… Something soaring through the skies at astounding speeds right behind him?

"INCOMINGGGGGGGGGG!" Shouted a voice from afar.

Spyro whipped his head around, only to duck as something that vaguely resembled a cyan, magical shuttlecock with eyes whizzed straight towards him! Spyro breathed a sigh of relief as it passed him by… Then grunted as Chihiro jumped onto his back and launched herself into the air!

"Gotcha!" Chihiro exclaimed as she caught the magical shuttlecock and floated back down to the ground, looked at Spyro and grimaced.

"Whoops."

Chihiro released the shuttlecock, then bent down and pulled Spyro back to his paws. "Sorry about that, Golden Boy! Didn't see you there!"

"I'm, fine," Spyro grunted as he shook his head, then glazed over the shuttlecock that laid on the ground, "Just what're you doing with that thing, anyways?"

"Training, of course!" Chihiro's eyes sparkled with fire and she pumped her fist to the skies, "Kaos doesn't rest, so I won't either! Not until I'm strong enough to send him running with his tail between his legs!"

"And that means?…" Spyro tilted his head as he looked back to Chihiro.

"Well, studying of course!"

Chihiro looked down and squeezed her magic shuttlecock as she bit her lip, almost like she was upset about something. But, a shake of her head as she pulled herself back up dismissed it immediately,

"I've spent the past few days doing nothing but studying and practicing new spells! Chain reaction spells, fancier effigies and afflictions…" Chihiro snapped her fingers and watched the shuttlecock fly back into her hand, "Oh, and of course magic minion spells!"

Chihiro twirled around and shook the shuttlecock.

"But, I've still got a long way to go with these guys…" She made a stern frown and sighed, a look of disappointment in her brown eyes, "This one was supposed to be dragon-sized, but I still can't get it bigger than a turtle! And I've been working on them for the past five hours, too…"

"Guess that means it's time for a break?" Spyro suggested, only to frown as Chihiro shook her head.

Chihiro reeled back at the very suggestion, then shook her head and stomped her foot.

"No way!" Chihiro looked up and winced at the surprised looks on Spyro and Gill Grunt's faces, then softened her tone, "I can't take a break, not until I'm strong enough that Kaos isn't an issue!"

"Chihiro!" Hugo called from across the island, "Can you come here?"

"Oh, sounds like I gotta jet!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around, then flashed a peace sign at Spyro and Gill Grunt, "I'll talk to you guys later, alright?"

And with that, Chihiro dashed into the distance, never to be seen… For the next hour or so, probably.

"Seems like that's all Chihiro's been about lately," Gill Grunt remarked with a shrug as he watched her run out of view, "Every time I pass her, all she ever talks about is beating Kaos and training!"

Gill Grunt scratched his chin and cast a gaze to the heavens. "Wonder what caused the change in attitude…"

Spyro only winced and looked aside. He had a feeling he knew exactly what caused Chihiro's sudden fixation on beating Kaos… Her last battle against him was probably still heavy on her mind. After all, it was normal for Chihiro to get fixated and obsessed with things at the drop of a hat, but this didn't seem like one of her usual obsessions. It felt more like compensation, as if she was trying to make up for something that surely racked her brain.

"Hey, Spyro," Gill Grunt asked as he looked down at Spyro, "Do you know why Chihiro's been acting like that lately?"

"Oh, well…"

Spyro scratched his head and bit his lip. He didn't exactly want to bring up that battle… Something in his gut told him that she probably wouldn't want that, and if he was in her shoes he'd feel the same.

Except, at the same time, he didn't really want to lie to Gill Grunt, especially about something as important as Chihiro's own well-being. After all, it was their responsibility not just as Skylanders, but as friends to keep her safe. And besides, if he couldn't even confide his worries about her with Gill Grunt, someone he had considered a close friend since the day he first stepped foot in Skylands, who could he tell?

Spyro went to open his mouth… Then promptly shut it as he heard what sounded like rocketing from the skies above. Wait, rocketing? Like, something flying through the skies? That felt odd, usually the only kind of aircraft they got were flying ships and balloons, and none of them made that kind of noise. Well, unless Flynn had busted his balloon again.

So what could it possibly be?

"Gill, do you hear that?" Spyro asked as he looked towards Gill Grunt and watched Gill Grunt nod his head, "What do you think it is?"

Spyro then looked above and gasped!

Above them was none other than a shooting star, bright and orange and burning as it shot across the skies! Wait, what would a shooting star be doing in broad daylight? And more importantly, why was it drawing closer? Wait, unless…

Spyro watched as the shooting star rocketed towards them then turned backwards. With the path it was following, it would surely hit…

"The Core of Light!" Gill Grunt shouted as he stumbled around and fiddled with his jetpack, "It's gonna crash into the Core!"

Spyro had already begun flying towards the Core, his mind two steps ahead of Gill Grunt. Surely, this had to be Kaos's work! He must have sent some kind of weapon to destroy the Core, but not on Spyro's watch!

When he arrived, Chihiro, Hugo, Flynn, Cali, a handful of the off-duty Skylanders and that totem pole-looking guy that Spyro had forgotten the name of… Arbo? He was pretty sure that was right. All of them had crowded around the half-complete Core, their gazes directed towards its majesty.

"What a remarkable creation!" Hugo praised as he clapped his hands.

"We are all remarkable creations," Arbo chimed in while he held up a mossy finger, his wisdom a bit softened by the fact that his tongue lolled out of his mouth and made him look quite goofy.

"Some more remarkable than others…" Flynn said as he rubbed his fist against his chest, "Like me. BOOM!"

As Flynn struck his signature pose, Cali rolled her eyes and buried her face in her hands.

"Anyways," Hugo said as he coughed into his paw, then beamed towards the Core of Light, "Thanks to this remarkable creation, Kaos's empire is being further diminished by the day!"—Hugo cast a glance towards Chihiro—"And with all that free time, I bet you've been keeping on top of your studies for the next exam!"

"Oh, next exam?" Chihiro repeated as she jolted up and froze like a dragonet in a ship's headlights, then shook her head, "I mean, of course I'm ready, I've been working hard and all that stuff!"

"With all the time you've spent working, I'm sure of it!" Hugo adjusted his jacket and smiled, "Especially since it's coming so soon!"

"Soon? You don't mean..." Chihiro made a few awkward chuckles, "TODAY soon, do you?"

Chihiro froze again and winced, but before she or anybody else could speak again Spyro flew in front of her!

"Everyone, get the shields up, quick!" Spyro exclaimed as his eyes flashed purple, "We've got trouble!"

"TROUBLE?" Chihiro exclaimed as she raced up to Spyro, "Don't tell me, Kaos-level trouble?"

"If you'd call that Kaos-level trouble…" Spyro pointed towards the shooting star, "Then yes!"

That shooting star was near completely engulfed in flames as it dipped out of the skies and crashed towards them! The heat it emitted made it feel more like summer than fall, but Spyro couldn't worry about that right now. He had to protect the Core! While everybody else panicked or got ready to attack, Spyro held out his paws and channeled the magic within him, fully ready to cast a shield… But before he could, a bright cyan flash shot out beside him and engulfed the shooting star in a bright aqua bubble!

Spyro turned to his side and smiled as Chihiro blew off a hand covered in cyan smoke, then the two of them turned and watched the bubble cascade down to the ground.

As the bubble popped, the shooting star's flames completely vanished and revealed that it wasn't a shooting star at all! It was merely a worn, kind of old-fashioned looking space shuttle now covered in singe marks and soot! But, who would send a space shuttle here? Had aliens touched down in Skylands?

Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

Everybody was still on edge, Spyro included, and readied their arms as the space shuttle's door flung open. Whatever was in there, they had to be prepared! Steam and smoke intermingled from the open door while a bulky silhouette rolled down the ramp provided, which only added to the tension. Then, as the smoke cleared…

"Ten hut!" Cried the person, or rather robot, that had emerged from the shuttle, "Someone direct me to who's in charge here!"

Sure enough, a bulky steel robot had emerged from the shuttle! Though their face was a trademark steel silver, the paneling of their body had been painted an olive green and decorated in the style of a military uniform. A metallic military captain hat donned a head with blank black windows for eyes, and in lieu of feet they had twin… Conveyor belts, Spyro had guess? Machinery wasn't exactly his strong suit.

"I'm in charge…" Flynn said as he stepped up to greet the robot, "Of the ladies, that is."

Flynn wiggled an eyebrow at the robot, only for it to bonk him on the head with one of its metallic hands!

"HEY!" Flynn rubbed his head and glared back up at the robot, "What was that for?"

"Stop fooling around, son!" The robot shook its mechanical arm, "I'm talking about a Skylander!"

"Hold up, dude!" Chihiro interrupted as she pushed past Flynn and glared down the robot, "First of all, who are you? And also—"—Chihiro gestured towards the Core of Light—"Do you have any idea what you nearly crashed into?!"

"That information is classified, son," The robot replied as it glared down Chihiro, "I can't spill it to just anyone, especially loud-mouthed civilians!"

"But I'm no civilian!" Chihiro pushed a finger against the robot's mechanical chest, "I'm the portal master guarding this place, and as this place's guardian I demand to know what kind of business you have here!"

"PORTAL MASTER? My apologies, sir! I had no clue!" The robot jumped up, then mechanically bowed, "Designation is General Robot, sir!"

General Robot stood, then made a couple whirring and beeping noises.

"I was created by the Mabu Defense Force to aid them in their feats of heroism, sir!"

"Now _that's _more like it." Chihiro beamed as she placed her hands on her hips, then giggled and leaned towards Spyro, "He called me _sir_!"

Spyro only chuckled and rolled his eyes. Even if she wouldn't admit it, Chihiro did really like the respect that came with being a portal master… Neverminding that she was still only an apprentice.

"The MDF sent me to inform you that they have located the Golden Gear and the Green Goo of Primordia, sir!" General Robot proclaimed as he stood rigid and tall, his gaze fixed directly on Chihiro.

"Wait, Golden Gear?" Hugo exclaimed as he pushed through the crowds, "Green Goo of Primordia? Those are the Core of Light's next two components!"

Everybody else in the background cheered and rejoiced.

"Indeed they are, son, now let me speak with the portal master," General Robot affirmed as he faced Hugo.

General Robot then swerved his body and attention back to Chihiro.

"However, we've run into a problem, sir! Kaos has our forces backed into a corner, sir! We've exhausted all our resources trying to take back the components, but to no avail, sir!"

"So…" Chihiro crossed her arms as she drummed her fingers against her forearm, "I presume you've come here to request the Skylanders' help?"

"Indeed, sir." General Robot bowed once more, "If you can spare the aid, sir."

"Of course we can!" Chihiro exclaimed as she turned her attention to the Skylanders, "Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" Cried the Skylanders scattered throughout the crowds as they gathered towards Chihiro.

"General Robot!" Chihiro called as she turned her attention back to General Robot.

"Yes sir!" General Robot exclaimed.

"Where exactly are the gear and goo located?" Chihiro placed her hands back on her hips.

In response, General Robot's eyes flickered, then projected a holographic image of a mechanical warehouse-looking things decked to the nines with troll soldiers.

"The Golden Gear has been located in a troll factory slash warehouse at a westmost outpost, sir!"

"Wait, I know that place!" Cried a hoarse voice with a faint accent of some kind as a green-skinned troll with a bushy orange beard, mechanical gloves and boots and bright red eyes who wore a backpack full of dynamite stepped out of the crowd, "I used to work there when I was in the troll military! Had to make our own weaponry and all..."

"Can we go there, Boomer?" Trigger Happy asked as he skipped up to Boomer, then bounced up and down as he shook Boomer's arm, "Can we, can we, can we?"

Boomer chuckled as he ruffled Trigger Happy's head.

"That's for Chihiro to decide, little buddy!" Boomer raised an eyebrow towards Chihiro and beamed wide when he saw her nod.

"If you know the place already, then I can't think of anyone better to go!" Chihiro said, then giggled as she watched Trigger Happy and Boomer cheer and bounce around uncontrollably.

General Robot blinked, or at least seemed to, and the holographic image changed! Its reflection had become that of a war-torn battlefield covered in worn machinery and trenches with barbed wire, all the front yard to an impressive-looking factory filled with pipes that pumped a glowing green substance.

"And as for the goo," General Robot said as the projection glowed bright, "It has all been stockpiled at a troll factory filled with some of their best technology!"

"Best technology, you say?" Drobot echoed as he whirred out of the crowds.

"The most top-notch tech they've ever come up with." General Robot nodded in affirmation.

"That's perfect for you, Drobot!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pushed through their conversation, "You're all about that techy stuff!"

Chihiro's eyes glazed over the crowds, then pointed towards a red and gold robot hidden among their ranks.

"And Drill Sergeant, you're literally a living robot!" Chihiro ushered the robot forward, "With the two of you together, that goo will be ours in no time!"

"Very well then, sir…" Replied Drill Sergeant as he wheeled out of the crowds, his red and gold armor bright and shiny against the afternoon light.

"Alright then!" Chihiro exclaimed as she clapped her hands together, "If that's the case, then let's get cracking!"

And with that, Chihiro sung another odd earth tune as she lead her chosen Skylanders towards the portal building…

§

"Good luck, everyone!" Chihiro shouted as she watched all four Skylanders get absorbed in the portal's light, "Be sure to kick those trolls' butts extra hard for me!"

Chihiro's smile faded with the portal's light, then with a sigh she brushed a hand against its stone surface. It felt a bit chilly thanks to the cold of autumn, though the recent use had made it a lot warmer than she had expected. But, nevertheless, the feeling of its familiar stone surface eased her heart just a bit…

And yet, that still wasn't enough to quell her worries. After all, Hugo said her next exam was soon to come, and she hadn't the slightest clue what the subject would be!

Then again, she had barely kept up on her studies. After her wake-up call a few days ago, she had devoted every waking moment that wasn't spent working with the Skylanders on training. Practicing spells in the training arena, pouring through spellbooks for new ideas on what to practice, honing her own magical abilities… That was all she could think about, and even then it still felt like she had to do more and more! When would she finally feel like she was strong enough?

"Chihiro!" Called a voice she faintly recognized as Hugo's from a ways away, "Are you ready?"

Oh, that's right. It's probably exam time now, hopefully she'd still find a way to pass. Chihiro lingered on the portals a little more, then drew away from the one she had faced as their light faded.

"Coming, Hugo," Chihiro whispered as she trailed out of the portal room, her walk void of its usual bounce and energy.

Unsurprisingly, Master Eon and Hugo both stood outside the portal room with attentive, expecting eyes. Well, Hugo did anyways, since Master Eon's ghostly form lacked eyes and all that fun stuff.

"Is it time?" Chihiro asked as she tugged on her sweatshirt's shoulder, the one that had been patched up after it got singed by a laser some weeks backs, "Y'know, for the thing?"

"The thing?" Hugo responded as he raised an eyebrow, his mind clearly blank before he shook his head, "Oh, you mean the exam!"—Hugo beamed and clapped his paws—"Indeed it is! Good on you for keeping up with your dates, Chihiro!"

Darn. For a moment she had hoped she got the day wrong and she still had a few more days to prepare, but what's done was done, she supposed. Seems like she'd just have to grin and bear it.

"Young Chihiro, is something troubling you?" Master Eon asked as he floated around Chihiro, his bright light faint and almost troubled, "You seem worried about something."

"Oh, it's nothing!" Chihiro spat out without even thinking as she waved her hand, "Just wondering when the exam starts, that's all!"

Okay, that was a lie. Chihiro didn't exactly feel prepared for her exam, but then again, nobody exactly told her what it was going to be!… Well, in their defense, she had hardly been around Master Eon and Hugo these past few days, or anybody outside the training dummies, really. The most conversation they had was when she relayed mission reports to them at the end of the day!

And now, it had really started to bite her in the butt. Chihiro felt unease grow in her heart as her mind trailed back to the exam she certainly wasn't prepared for, but she couldn't say that right to Master Eon's face! That would be like admitting to your teacher that you hadn't done a single lick of homework all week! It was irresponsible, and she knew he expected better of her.

So, she just stayed quiet as Hugo and Master Eon walked out of the portal room and down the hall, all while they made conversation that was little more than white noise to Chihiro's ears.

Their short trip had lead them over to the portal building's study, which was no cleaner than the last time Chihiro had sneaked in there to borrow books. The wooden floors were still covered by a fine layer of stray papers and bulky novels, more of which hung from the couches and chairs, and the overhead lamps still lit the entire room a somewhat sleepy shade of yellow.

They all took their seats… And nothing happened afterwards. Hugo said nothing as he twiddled his thumbs, nor did Master Eon as he flipped through the pages of a stray paperback.

This, well, did not help Chihiro actually. She was already plenty anxious at the prospect of her oncoming exam, and all this waiting around and doing nothing made her wanna burst! Could something happen already?

"Er… Master Eon?" Chihiro called at last as she clenched her teeth, "Are we going to start the exam now?"

"Just wait a few minutes longer, young Chihiro," Master Eon replied as he dropped the book and flitted over to a wooden grandfather clock.

Chihiro sighed, then her eyes trailed over to the grandfather clock Master Eon was now examining. If she had to guess, it was only about… A minute or so till the next hour? She was never particularly good at reading old-timey clocks. Thankfully, in this instance she was right. With a few ticks more, the clock chimed out an equally old-sounding melody that informed her a new hour had passed!

"Now it is time, young Chihiro!" Master Eon proclaimed as he floated back towards the sofas, "Are you ready to begin your next exam?"

"Yeah," Chihiro replied as she made a wary smile and lowered her voice, "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Very well then." Master Eon bobbed up and down, "I have a feeling you'll enjoy this next exam. The scavenger hunt is popular with many young apprentices, after all!"

"A scavenger hunt?" Chihiro's eyes glistened as a bit of her fears trickled away. She was always good at those kinds of things when they had them in school oh so many years ago—she could probably ace this one!

"That sounds like fun!" Chihiro jumped off the chair she sat in and bounced up and down, "What am I looking for? Treasures? Trophies? Snacks? All three of them at once?"

Master Eon made a hearty chuckle as he gently bounced up and down on Chihiro's head.

"Not quite, young Chihiro." Master Eon shook back and forth then flew away from Chihiro, "This scavenger hunt will test your knowledge of magical artifacts and devices. Thus, you can guess what you'll be searching for!"

Chihiro stopped short, as if her feet had been glued to the ground out of nowhere. Magical artifacts and devices? Well, she had read about them here and there in a couple of books she had borrowed from the library. She probably knew enough about them to coast through this exam, right? Chihiro rubbed a hand on her chin as she pondered, but not for long as Hugo shoved a worn cloth bag into her arms!

"This bag has all you should need for the exam," Hugo explained as he stepped back, "Take a look!"

Chihiro did as told, and found two scraps of paper within its confines. One was a list with a number of names written in Skylandian lettering, the other a map with a number of red dots on its surface. Now that she looked closer, it kinda looked like… A map of the island? Chihiro put the map aside, glazed over the list and gulped.

Actually, no, she was way under prepared. She didn't recognize a single name on this list! How was she going to pass this exam now? Chihiro gulped again, then shuddered at the prospect of a failed exam and shoved the list back in. Hopefully she'd be able to pick it up as she went along…

"The rules go as follows," Master Eon explained as he swirled around Chihiro. "Replicas of the artifacts on this list and more have been scattered all across the places indicated on the map, and you must bring the correct ones to us before the sun sets today."—Master Eon then jumped back onto the couch—"In addition, you must rely on your own knowledge to finish this exam. In other words, you cannot ask for others' help or resources."

Chihiro gulped and nodded. The anxiety that she thought had disappeared had instead crept up on her and dug its claws into her heart once more. She could already see the disappointed looks on their faces as she majorly failed…

"In addition, and I cannot stress this enough," Hugo added as he stepped up to Chihiro, "You absolutely _must NOT _use magic on the artifacts! Bad things could happen if you do!"—Hugo stopped short and frowned as he waved his paw in front of Chihiro's face—"Chihiro? Chihiro, did you hear me?"

"YEAH, GOT IT!" Chihiro exclaimed as she slung the bag over her shoulder, "Bring back the right thingies before the day ends, no cheating, no magic! Got it!"

Chihiro sweat buckets as she fumbled through the bag, plucked out the map and list and squeezed them tight. She was sure her panic was obvious to everyone around, but hopefully she could play it off a bit.

"If you're ready, then we will begin at the forest's mouth," Master Eon said, a bit of wariness in his voice as he sat on Chihiro's hands… Or maybe that was just her imagination, who knew.

Hugo laid his paw on Chihiro's hand, then in moments they were teleported out of the study and right before the forest's mouth! Chihiro gulped as she watched then let go, then wrung her bag's strap tight.

_Might as well get this over with, I guess, _Chihiro thought as she ventured deep into the woods.

"Do you really think she'll be okay, Master Eon?" Asked a voice that Chihiro knew was Hugo's, but it was so faint in the distance that she wasn't sure it was real or just her imagining things.

So, she took one cursory glance back at the entrance, then delved deeper into the forest.

§

With a flash and a BOOM, Trigger Happy and Boomer found themselves within the confines of a large, metallic room filled with all sorts of machinery. Crates overflowing with unlit bombs, barrels of fireworks and guns, hanging lamps with barely-lit light bulbs… But other than that, the only thing to inhabit the room were Boomer and Trigger Happy themselves!

"Helloooooooooo?" Boomer shouted, but he was greeted with nothing but the echoes of his own voice as it reverberated around the room.

"Anybody here?" Trigger Happy yelled as he hopped around the room, "It's the Skylanders!"

"Skylanders?" Repeated a tiny, quivering voice just loud enough to be heard… Well, by another other than Trigger Happy and Boomer, that is.

"Are you Mabu Defense Force guys still here?" Trigger Happy frowned as he received no response, then sat down and toyed with his pistols, "I think they might not be here, Boomy."

"Hello!" The tiny voice called at a slightly heightened level of volume, "I'm over here!"

Boomer's ears twitched as he delved his hands into his backpack, then grasped firmly onto a round bomb… Just in case.

"Who's there?" Boomer called as he looked around the room, ears still twitchy with concern.

He looked right, and left, then right again… Then when he looked in front, a mabu dressed in some kind of mock military getup stood right in front of him!

"Hello!" The mabu said as they waved to Boomer and Trigger Happy.

Boomer yelped and jumped back, then caught a breath and beamed.

"Hah! You caught me by surprise there, kiddo!" Boomer adjusted the straps on his backpack with a hup, "Are you one of those… Uh…"—Boomer frowned and scratched his chin, his beard hairs tickled against his hands—"Mabu something or other force?"

"Mabu Defense Force." The mabu sighed and made a weak smile, but quickly composed himself and made that smile more genuine, "The name's Snuckles!"

Snuckles yanked Boomer's hand away and shook it as fast as he could.

"And I'm glad to work with you!" Snuckles released Boomer then immediately shook Trigger Happy's hand, completely oblivious to how he shook the rest of Trigger Happy with it, "You're the entire reason I joined the force!"

Snuckles giggled and stomped with glee as he released a very dizzy Trigger Happy.

"You see, a few months ago, Kaos tried to take over my home village and released a ton of nasty tornadoes…" Snuckles made a shrill squeal, "But then, the Skylanders came and sent him packing!"—Snuckles clasped his hands—"Ever since I saw them in action, I've always wanted to be a hero just like them!"

Snuckles then pounded a fist against his paw.

"And that's when I decided to join the Mabu Defense Force and become a secret agent!" Snuckles made a few short bounces, "This is my very first mission! And it's a solo one, too! The captain said I could do it alone because 'It's something even you couldn't mess up!'"

Snuckles grabbed Boomer's hands once more and stared him straight in the face!

"Can you believe it?"

Boomer and Trigger Happy, however, seemed less than ecstatic as they cast each other apprehensive, knowing looks.

"Oh, but, enough about me!" Snuckles released Boomer's hands and nodded as he placed a hand on his heart, "It's an honor and a privilege to be working with you today, Skylanders!"  
Boomer stood silent for a few moments, his own eyes sparkling as he watched Snuckles, then beamed and patted Snuckles' back.

"Don't worry a fur on your head then, Snuckly boy!" Boomer proclaimed as he patted Snuckles a few more times then spun towards Trigger Happy, "With us on your side, getting this gear back will be a piece of pie!"

"Don't you mean cake?" Snuckles scrunched his eyebrows and frowned.

"Eh, I don't really like cake!" Boomer shook his hand as he faced Trigger Happy, "It's not explosive enough!"

"Well, whatever! I'll lead the way, so just follow me!"

As Snuckles walked into the distance, Boomer turned his attention to Trigger Happy and made the most serious look he could muster.

"We cannot let anything happen to this kid," Boomer whispered as he looked back at Snuckles while Snuckles turned around a map and looked hopelessly confused while doing so, "Look at him, he's precious! He's got that first day saving the world look and everything!"

"Are you sure he'll be alright, though?" Trigger Happy said as he pointed towards Snuckles, "He seems kinda…"

Boomer hastily shushed Trigger Happy, who in turned shushed back.

"Lost?" Trigger Happy whispered as he leaned past Boomer and watched Snuckles fumble with the map some more, "Confused? Ten seconds away from crying and saying he wants to go home?"

"Yeah, but…" Boomer beamed and clasped his hands, "That's just how all rookies are! Give him a little bit and he'll be great, I can feel it in my toes!"

Trigger Happy beamed and made a small chuckle.

"Well, if you say so Boomy!"

Trigger Happy whipped out his pistols and spun them around.

"If any troll, imp, robot, or rabid gigantic hamster tries to touch him…" Trigger Happy held out a pistol and wrapped his finger around the trigger, "I'll give 'em one of these!"

And with a release on the trigger, a gigantic golden coin shot out of the gun, banged against the wall and ricocheted all around the area! Trigger Happy and Boomer both yelped and ducked down as the coin continued to bounce, then watched in land in front of them and giggled.

"So he'll totally be fine!" Trigger Happy shook his pistol and watched smoke emit from the barrel, "As long as he has us!"

"Skylanders!" Snuckles called from across the halls, "Are you coming?"

"Coming!" Boomer and Trigger Happy shouted as they followed Snuckles down the dimly-lit mechanical hallways.

Once the three of them were crowded together, Snuckles straightened out his map and cleared his throat.

"Now, the troll warehouse where the gear is stored is a ways off from where we are now…" Snuckles explained as he presented his map to Trigger Happy and Boomer, "But thankfully, I have a map!"—Snuckles then lowered the map and scratched the side of his head—"Well, I would be thankful for it if I could actually figure out where we are on it…"

Boomer rubbed his chin, then placed a metal finger on the map.

"In my professional observation," Boomer said as he grabbed the map out of Snuckles' hands and turned it around, "I think you have the map upside-down!"

"I do?" Snuckles examined the map again and smiled, "Oh, looks like I did!"—Snuckles retrieved the map from Boomer and presented it once again—"Now, see this X here?"

Snuckles tapped a part of the map marked with a bright red X.

"This is where the Golden Gear's hiding spot is! Marked it myself and everything~" Snuckles rolled up the map and tucked it into his pocket, "Now, if we go straight through these tunnels, they should lead us on the way to the Golden Gear…"  
Boomer nodded intently as Snuckles rambled on and on and on, then turned his head a ways towards the right… And gasped!

"DUCK!" Boomer exclaimed as he pointed ahead.

"Duck?" Snuckles turned back to Boomer, "But, why would there be ducks here? This is a factory—OOF!"

Snuckles grunted as both him and Trigger Happy were pushed to the ground by Boomer, then he poked his head up and watched as a round bomb soared over their heads!  
The bomb crashed a couple feet away from where they laid and exploded with a loud KA-BOOM!

"Oh,_ that _kind of duck!" Snuckles chuckled to himself, "Heh, my bad!"

"This isn't the time to laugh!" Boomer got back to his feet and withdrew his bombs, "We've got company!"

"Wait, we do?" Snuckles looked up and winced.

Right in front of them, several trolls dressed in armor and armed with lit bombs and dynamite blocked the way ahead! And judging by the scowls on their faces, they didn't exactly look happy to see Skylanders in their outpost…

"SKYLANDERS?" Exclaimed the first troll as they held their bombs tight, "How'd you get here?"

Boomer, however, seemed hardly intimidated as he smiled and walked up to the trolls.

"Portal of course!" Boomer proclaimed as he stroked his beard and looked over the enemy trolls, "Is there any better way to travel when you're a Skylander? I mean, balloon rides are fun and all, but—"

Boomer stopped and gasped as he looked over the highly-decorated troll general leading the charge.

"I KNOW YOU!"

Boomer grinned, then sauntered over to the troll general and laid an arm around the general's shoulders.

"GOOD OL' BOOMINGTON!" Boomer squeeze-hugged the general that was presumably Boomington and grinned even wider, "How've you been, buddy? Last time I saw you, you could barely light a bomb!"

The other trolls snickered, but quickly fell back into silence as Boomington glared them down.

"Don't act all buddy-buddy with me, Boomer!" Boomington exclaimed as he pushed Boomer away, his voice grizzled like a wartorn soldier, "You were the one who abandoned our army to go play hero with the Skylanders!"

"Oh, right!" Boomer scratched his chin and smirked, "I did do that!"

In a flash, Boomer dove his hands into his backpack and whipped out a fine assortment of shiny bombs!

"Guess this is the part where we start fighting!" Boomer paused for a moment to clear his throat, then pushed a fist to the heavens, "CHARGE!"

Boomer's cry of war was all the signal the enemy trolls needed to charge, but Boomer and Trigger Happy were just a quick to fight!

The trolls began launching their bombs, only for Trigger Happy to shoot them all away in one fell swoop with a gigantic pot of gold! The pot not only knocked the bombs out of range, but conked one of the trolls right in the head and knocked them unconscious!

"Pretty… Birdies…" The conked troll sputtered as they stumbled around the battlefield and nearly knocked another troll off their feet!

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The other troll shouted as they shook a fist at their dizzy comrade, "You could've distracted me!"

"I don't know," Boomer remarked as he wound up his arm, "You seem pretty distracted to me!"

The troll grunted and turned around, only for Boomer to punch them right in the face and shoot them right into the factory walls! The impact was so harsh, they only groaned as they slid down.

While Trigger Happy and Boomer fought, Snuckles watched them with shining eyes, but only for a moment. With a fire of determination in his eyes, Snuckles smiled and charged into the fray! He screamed as he ran towards Boomington with arms flailed like he was trying to punch something… But, Boomington managed to stop Snuckles simply by holding up his hand and pushing Snuckles back and forth. As Snuckles charged in place while he tried and failed to overpower Boomington's grip, Boomington only sighed and shook his head.

"Hey kid, can you hold this for me?" Boomington asked as he handed off a lit bomb to Snuckles.

"Oh sure, no problem!" Snuckles replied as he popped out of his ambush and grabbed the bomb from Boomington.

Boomington smiled and ran off, but Snuckles hardly noticed what had happened— he just frowned and twitched his ear.

"Is it just me, or does something sound like it's burning?" Snuckles looked down at his hands, then screamed as he realized just what he was holding!

"A BOMB! A BOMB! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" Snuckles squealed as he ran back and forth in a panic then finally tossed the bomb away!

However, the bomb's trajectory was set right for Boomer and Trigger Happy's fight, and it's fuse was nearly done for—it would explode at any second!

Snuckles gasped as he watched the bomb draw closer… But then, it was knocked away by a gigantic golden coin and exploded in midair, far away from the battle instead!

"Boom! Boom boom!" Trigger Happy chattered as he bounced from one foot to the other, his guns' barrel decorated with faint smoke.

"Thanks for that, Skylander!" Snuckles beamed, before he screamed and ducked under a round of dynamite, "ACK!"

The trolls shouted in anger as they chased after Snuckles... But while they made chase they hadn't taken noticed to Trigger Happy, who only made a low, ominous chuckle as he whipped out a gigantic, golden machine gun!

Trigger Happy grinned so wide his mouth practically took up half his face as he held his hands tight around the trigger. While he did, the gun's barrel sparkled with a golden shimmer.

"Charging, charging…" Trigger Happy whispered as the trolls chased Snuckles around the Skylanders and right into Trigger Happy's line of sight, oblivious to the machine gun or its bright golden light, "FULL CHARGE!"

Trigger Happy let go of the machine gun's trigger and fell back into Boomer's arms, then watched with glee as a gigantic gold laser beam rocketed out of the gun and slammed straight into the troll soldiers!

It happened so fast, the trolls could only watch in horror as they were caught in the blast!

"CURSE YOU BOOMER!" Boomington cried as he and his soldiers were shot into the distance...

Boomer hummed, then looked up and scratched his chin.

"Y'know, he said that after I beat him at a game of BOOM during the new year's party too," Boomer remarked.

Boomer then turned a gaze to Snuckles, who had fallen on the floor and watched Boomer with wide eyes, then smiled and pulled Snuckles back to his feet.

"Something tells me we won't see those guys again for a while." Boomer lead Snuckles down the pathway, "So, Snucks, where does that map of yours say we need to go?"

Snuckles made a wary smile, then retrieved his map and glazed it over.

"Well," Snuckles whimpered as he squinted his eyes, "First we need to go ten paces north, then take a right at this squiggly line here and dance our way south of the storage plants… Or maybe we need to turn around at the squiggly line and then go west?"

Snuckles sighed and held a paw against his head. "Why do they make these maps so complicated?"

"Can I take a crack at it, then?" Trigger Happy asked as he took a look at the map and smiled.

"You can try…"

Snuckles sighed and handed the map back over to Trigger Happy, who spun it around and hummed. Trigger Happy then laid the map on the ground, flattened out all its creases with surprise detail, and… Folded the map into a hat and popped it on his head?

"Follow me!" Trigger Happy proclaimed as he pointed a finger ahead, only for his map hat to fall right off! With an inconspicuous cough, he grabbed the map hat off the floor and positioned it back onto his head. "Okay, now follow me!"

Snuckles cast a wary look at Boomer, who only shrugged and smiled. So, Snuckles just shrugged and trailed behind Trigger Happy and Boomer while they sung along to jaunty war songs, though he wasn't nearly as carefree about this as they were.

Snuckles' teeth chattered as he looked around the halls, which morphed from generic dimly-lit metal hallways to open areas that reeked of gunpowder and oil, likely from the troll workers who had absorbed themselves in making all sorts of strange weapons and contraptions, and then back again. Snuckles stopped for a moment to gaze over the working trolls, then shuddered as he watched one test a laser gun on itself. As a shrill scream echoed through the glass that bordered off the halls from the testing room, Snuckles' fur stood on end and he ran back down the halls.

"So, Trig…" Boomer's voice just faintly echoed down the metal halls, "How did you say you solved this thing again?"

"Well, last time I just bribed that…" Trigger Happy said, only for his voice to trail off as Snuckles finally ran into their current residence, "Snuckles, there you are!"

Snuckles paused and placed a paw over his heart as he arrived within a room comprised of rust red-colored walls, with more steam and pipe-based technology compared to the more industrial sights of before. The room was surprisingly clean, with only a few tables and chairs set up for decoration. Nobody was there save for Boomer, Trigger Happy, and a tiny lockmaster imp that resided within the keyhole of…

"A lock puzzle!" Snuckles exclaimed as he clasped his paws, "Finally, an area where I can show off my secret agent expertise!"

Snuckles hummed to himself as he grabbed some kind of keychain full of lock-picking tools from his pocket, then his hum grew silent as he ran each and every one through the lock puzzle… But none of them worked! It didn't matter if he jiggled the lock, or toyed with the inner mechanisms, or even poked the lockmaster imp! The lock puzzle just stood firm as ever.

"If none of those worked, then what in Skylands opens this thing?" Snuckles sighed as he slumped against the door.

"I know the trick!" Boomer said in a very scholarly tone.

"You do? What is it?" Snuckles jumped to his feet and watched Boomer pass him by, "A secret lock-picker? A lockmaster imp pest control device? Shaking it really hard? A…"

Snuckles tilted his head and frowned as he watched Boomer place a stick of dynamite in the lock.

"Stick of dynamite?"

"I'd suggest you stand back!" Boomer said as he pulled a lighter out of his backpack.

Trigger Happy and Snuckles both jumped out of the way as Boomer lit the dynamite stick with an excited smile on Trigger Happy's face and a wary frown on Snuckles'.

"That's it!" The lockmaster imp cried as it hopped out of the lock puzzle and waddled away, "I'm taking a vacation!"

"You have fun with that, little guy!" Boomer chirped as he jumped back himself.

Just then… BOOM! The puzzle and its door exploded into a million tiny bits, and in the process the way ahead was opened!

"And there you have it, folks!" Boomer proclaimed as he adjusted his backpack, "How to open a lock puzzle, the troll way!"

Trigger Happy grinned and applauded Boomer as they all walked along, but Snuckles only grimaced and warily followed.

"Just what did I get myself into?" Snuckles asked as he scratched his head.

§

Chihiro rubbed her thumb against the list's crisp, carefully-printed paper as she trekked deeper into the woods. Though she tried to keep her heart steady, it was of no use. No matter what she did or what she told herself, her mind always trailed back to the failure that was surely to be at hand. Of all the rotten luck, why did she have to be tested on the one thing she didn't study? What if she failed?

"Calm down, Chihiro," Chihiro told herself for what was probably the thirtieth time since the exam began, "Even if you didn't study, as long as you try your best, you should at least barely pass!"

Chihiro clenched the list a little tighter in her cold, sweaty grasp.

"And if you don't, what's the worst that could happen? You fail miserably and get exiled for good?" Chihiro shuddered and squeezed the list even tighter, "Yeah, better not think about that right now!"

Chihiro heaved a sigh as the shudders went away, then straightened out her now quite wrinkled list and glazed over its writing. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd recognize a few names! Chihiro squinted and drew the list closer in an attempt to make something out of Hugo's fancy handwriting.

"Wait, hold on a second! A mini-mechanizer?" Chihiro smiled and drew the list back, "I know that one!"—Chihiro stuffed the list back into the bag and marched onward—"This might not be so bad after all~"

Chihiro went further into the forest, then pushed through the leaves of a big bush. Unlike Eon's gardens, which were perfectly maintained by Camo (if not for the ever-growing collection of rock statues), these forest were as wily and vaguely haunting as every other forest there was.

Thanks to this place, Chihiro had begun to understand why all those fairy tale writers were so fascinated with forests!

After all, the leaves filtered the sunbeams just so that they gave the impression of sparkling, glittering magic and still stuck to their branches even though most of the islands' other trees had begun to lose their foliage. The sounds of birds chirping, whistling winds and skittering animals added a bit of wonder to the area, too! It felt peaceful and magical all at once, and if not for her impending exam Chihiro probably would've taken the time to stop and smell the magical roses!

But she did have an exam to take, so she pushed through the branches of a nearby bush and took the beaten path it lead down. The map had said the first artifact should be somewhere around here… But where?

Time felt like it slowed down and nearly stopped altogether as Chihiro walked down the way, her eyes glazed over the scenery for any signs of her targets. At first she was quite attentive… But as the journey grew longer, the sights had started to blend in her tired mind! And who could blame her as she passed near-identical trees, roses so similar they were practically copy-pasted, weird sparkles that came from tree branches…

"Wait, hold up!" Chihiro exclaimed as she whipped around and peeked up at a nearby branch, "What's that thing?"

Chihiro closed the flap of her bag and tightened it enough that nothing would spill out, then rushed up to the tree trunk and leaped onto its first branch. Her balance secured, she scrambled up each branch until she found her target!

It was bright and a reddish orange in color, though most of its body was obscured by the leaves it had nested in… Could this be what she was looking for?

Chihiro shimmied down the branch, then gingerly withdrew the object from the branches and turned it around in her hands. It didn't seem very out of the ordinary, just an orange box with a round button on its front.

"I wonder what this button does?" Chihiro remarked as she pressed the button.

With a friendly click, the top of the box flew open and revealed a miniature, complex mechanical tree of a machine! Its arms flailed about as an insect rendered on its back did, its gears whirred and twirled in perfect synchronization, and the tiny bulb at the top of its tree was a bright star that shone for all to see!

_Wait, this seems familiar, _Chihiro remarked as she watched the box's lid flip back over and lock again with a click, _Didn't they say something about that in the books?_

Chihiro hummed and kicked her legs against thin air as she tried to jog her brain. It was only an inkling, but she was certain that she had seen this in one of the books she had read for her studies… But which one? Her mind was completely blank to a title!

"Heh, this thing seems like something Dro would like." Chihiro brushed some stray bark off of the box's top, "But it's prolly nothing compared to the stuff he makes!"

Just then, a memory flashed into Chihiro's mind! It was one of a warm afternoon spent working away in the dustier, unoccupied rooms of the portal building, and more importantly…

"That's it! This was in one of those books I borrowed from Drobot!" Chihiro jostled so fast that the branches beneath her shuddered under her movements, then took a deep breath.

"Mini-mechanizers!" Chihiro's voice was clear and slow as if she was reading from a textbook, "Boxes that contain fully-assembled machines shrunk to travel size with the power of minimizer rays!"—Chihiro opened the flap of her bag and dropped the mini-mechanizer inside—"Trolls invented them to store their wares and other things for long journeys!"

As the mini-mechanizer dropped into the bag, a bright minty glow emitted from the bag's open hole!

Chihiro gasped, then dug out her map and looked it over… To find that one of the markers had gone from red to bright green before it vanished entirely!

"Well, that certainly makes things a lot easier," Chihiro remarked as she closed her bag up and leaned sideways, "Now, time to get out of this—"

Chihiro's hand slipped off of the branch and took her balance with it!

"TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Chihiro slipped off of the branch and screamed as she crashed face-first back onto the ground!

"Owch." Chihiro popped off of the floor and brushed dirt off of her face with a groan, then pulled herself back to her feet, "I'd better watch those landings next time."

Chihiro hummed a tune to herself as she retrieved her map, then ran a finger across the map. There was another marker not all that far away from where she stood at the present time… Looks like that's gonna be her next target!

_Y'know, _Chihiro thought as she put the map away and walked on, _It's really nice how quiet the forest is here. It's a lot different that being around the 'landers…_

_**"**__**Well, well, if is isn't the Portal Master Imposter, all lost and alone without any of those stupid Skyblunderers to protect her!"**_

Chihiro felt her heart stop as she whipped her head around. Was that Kaos's voice just now?

"STOP HIDING AND SHOW YOURSELF, KAOS! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!" Chihiro demanded as she summoned a magic sphere on impulse… Only to release it as the wind blew some stray leaves to a place far beyond now.

"Oh, right, that was just…" Chihiro bit her lip and held her arm, which started to sting with a more recognizable pain, "A memory."

Chihiro's legs shook as she clenched her fist. She felt hot tears sear her eyes as memories of that day, that battle, all flooded back into her mind! She knew she couldn't linger here for long… And yet, it seemed as if every time she tried to press forward, her feet would stick themselves back to the ground. It was like her mind and body both were stuck in those memories, almost! The memories of her own loss, her careless actions, the fact that might not even be standing here had Spyro and Stealth Elf not intervened at the time they did… It was almost too much to bear!

Chihiro clenched her teeth and hand, then shook her head.

"I can't do this right now, brain," Chihiro mumbled as she finally pressed herself to walk a few steps forward, "You can make me sulk another time."

Chihiro's movements were almost forced, mechanical even, as she made a beeline for a nearby bush she was sure she had seen some conspicuous sparkles emit from out the corner her eye. She made a soft, hesitant whine, then dove her hands into the bush!

Chihiro winced and screwed her eyes shut as she felt a sting of pain against her hands—a prick from a thorn, perhaps—then froze entirely as she felt a surging numbness race within her. It wasn't the kind from sickness, but more like a deer in the headlights feeling, like her whole body was completely frozen. In the distance, she could've sworn she heard Kaos's sickening cackles… Then finally, with a racing heart and heavy breaths she pushed her hands further into the bush! She could feel a tingling sort of pain pulsate from her arm, but it was little more than an afterthought as she patted her hand around the bush's inside and yanked out something hard and solid.

With a grunt she pulled her arm back out of the bush… An arm that had its sleeve pushed up and was covered in thin scratches. Dangit, she'd better bandage that up later. But for now, she let her sleeve fall back over her arm as she analyzed her claim.

It was a solid purple object covered in ancient markings that vaguely resembled some kind of animal head… Maybe it was the thing she needed? Chihiro frowned, then went to drop it into the bag.

But when she did, the bag glowed red and spat it on the ground!

Chihiro's mouth twitched into a frown as she knitted her eyebrows, then she yanked the artifact back off the ground and shoved it into the bag. But, still no dice, once again it tossed the artifact back out! So, Chihiro did it a third time… And then fourth, fifth, sixth, all to similar effects as before… Only to finally give up at try number ten.

"Geez, what am I doing wrong?" Chihiro asked as she fished out the list and glazed over it once more. She was sure she had the right one, but her head was in such a haze she could barely focus on reading the list, let alone actually analyzing!

But, she was sure of it! This had to be the second artifact, the Guardifaun! Wait, hold on a second… Chihiro shook her head and looked back down on the list, then slapped her hand against her face.

"That doesn't say faun!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tossed the list back into her bag, "That says found!"—Chihiro cast a scorning glare towards the wrong artifact then kicked it back under the bush—"Hopefully I didn't waste too much time on that…"

Chihiro stood up, then adjusted the strap of her bag and walked along. Nothing seemed of much interest at first until her foot hit something rock solid! She frowned, then knelt down to the thing she kicked and examined it.

It was a solid lump of dirt that had some of its dirt loosened by its kick, which in turn revealed patches of bright purple. Could this be what she was looking for? Chihiro uncovered the dirt to find… A Guardifound! At least, she thought it was a Guardifound, given its body carved in the shape of a bulky soldier with shining gems for eyes and a clenched mouth that bore sharp fangs.

"Bulky body, humanoid shape, gems for eyes…" Chihiro rattled as she turned the object around in her hands, "This has to be a Guardifound! They could turn anything into a living soldier!"

Chihiro bit her lip, then warily withdraws her bag and opened it. She trembled as she dropped the Guardifound inside… And in response, the bag glowed green once more!

_Thank goodness. _Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief, then pulled out the map from her bag and analyzed its spots, _Where to next, trusty map?_

Oh geez… All these spots were a good bit away from where she was now.

"Ugh, that's gonna be a lot of walking." Chihiro slunk down and held her head, then immediately lifted it up and snapped her fingers, "I could teleport there, though!"

_You absolutely __**must NOT**__ use magic on the artifacts! _Hugo's voice echoed from within the confines of Chihiro's mind, _Bad things could happen if you do!_

"Oh, that's right. I probably shouldn't while I'm still carrying these things." Chihiro hung her head once more, "Better not waste any time, then."

So Chihiro walked forward once more, but as she walked she felt a strange concerning feeling, as if something bad was just about to happen! She winced as she wrung the strap of her bag while chills crept down her spine at the same rate that cold sweat crept down her forehead…

Just then, a branch snapped!

"WHOEVER YOU ARE, SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!" Chihiro demanded as she whipped around, her hands bright with magic energy.

But, nobody was there. The only oddity was a broken branch and a purple object that resembled a weird-looking battery. The object made a pale, kind of strange glow as it rested next to the split branch, and a closer inspection showed that there was a small, but firm crack on its surface. Got banged up by the fall, maybe?

"Could this be?…" Chihiro whispered as she picked up the object, then dropped it in the bag and beamed as it was accepted, "It is! That was easy!"

Chihiro peered further inside the bag, then frowned as she examined the glowing artifact. It was hard not to, given that it stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the others…

"It looks a little banged up though." Chihiro sucked her lip, then gently closed her bag back up, "Better be gentle with it."

And so, Chihiro went back to her little scavenger hunt…

§

The trio walked through a series of rusty metal bridges that hung suspended over warm metal floors. The only light came from overhead lamps, bright and red and menacing, and everything felt like kind that felt tense and foreboding feeling as if one was about ready to walk into danger. But, it didn't bother any of them a bit as they went on their merry way…

Though, now that Boomer looked back, Snuckles did seem like he was itching to get out of this place right this second. Must be the excitement from his first mission!

"I'm, I'm going to scout ahead!" Snuckles proclaimed, "With my secret agent skills, I'm sure I can scout out the way in no time!"

Snuckles whimpered a little bit, then pushed past Trigger Happy and bolted down the bridges.

"You want us to come with you?" Boomer asked as he waved towards Snuckles.

"No, no, no! It's, um, it's totally fine!" Snuckles shook like a ruptured bomb, but still made a wide smile, "I can handle it a-ok!"—Snuckles looked aside as he tugged on his collar—"That's what I became a secret agent for…"

Boomer and Trigger Happy watched Snuckles run away with a shrug, then jumped to the next bridge as the prior one began to creak like it was about ready to collapse. They wiped the sweat from their brows in relief, turned around to check on Snuckles, who was bolting down the bridges with frightening (or maybe just frightened?) speed... Then gasped as they saw a fleet of trolls walk out from the doors! And worse yet, the trolls and Snuckles were right on a collision course!

"Snuckles, look out!" Boomer exclaimed as he waved his arms as if trying to send a signal.

"Trolls coming in west of the chicken coop!" Trigger Happy cried as he jumped up and down, "Fly away, fly away!"

And thankfully, it seemed that Snuckles had heeded their warning! For a moment, Snuckles stopped and seemingly caught sight of the oncoming trolls. He stood still at first and seemed to mutter something under his breath, then… He screamed his lungs out and charged head on right at the trolls!

Boomer and Trigger Happy just watched with eyes wide and mouth gaped open in shock, as did the trolls that Snuckles targeted… But then, the two of them cringed as they watched Snuckles bounce off one troll's armor and run back down the bridges sobbing!

"Welp," Boomer said as he stretched his arms then snagged some bombs out of his backpack, "Guess it's time for the pros to take the reins!"

Trigger Happy tittered as he whipped out his pistols and shot off a round of gold coins towards a troll covered in steel armor! However, at the last moment the troll whipped out a shield and used it to bounce those coins right back towards Trigger Happy! Trigger Happy squeaked and ran as his own coins chased after him… Only for them to bean him on the head in rapid succession and knock him on his face.

"Yeah…" Trigger Happy groaned as he stumbled back up with a noticeable metal grid mark now printed on his face, "That didn't work…"

The troll held its head high as it laughed at Trigger Happy's failure, but while it gloated, its shield had fallen down without it even realizing!

Trigger Happy, on the other hand, was more than quick to notice as he jumped back to his feet and conked the troll in the head with a gigantic pot of gold!

"That's what you get for acting all high and mighty!" Trigger Happy proclaimed as he watched the troll stumble about then fall unconscious.

The other trolls in the platoon stampeded over their fallen comrade in some attempt to mow down Trigger Happy, but Trigger Happy just whipped out his guns and shot gigantic golden coins back at them!

"Hey, don't leave me out of the fun!" Boomer exclaimed as he jumped up and clasped his fists tight.

As he fell down, Boomer hit the ground with a mighty pound that shook the floors like an earthquake! The trolls that Trigger Happy had beaten up flew through the air, right in time for Boomer to toss his bombs right at them!

These bombs exploded the moment they were within the trolls' breath, then sent those troll crashing into each other or slamming into the other platforms!

While the trolls slid down walls and fainted, Trigger Happy and Boomer turned towards each other and shared a high five.

But Snuckles, on the other hand, seemed far from relieved as he laid on his knees and clung tight to the bridge. While his whole body shook, his eyes were shut tight in what seemed to be fear…

"Don't worry, kiddo!" Boomer shouted as he turned back and ushered for Snuckles to come forwards, "We took care of those guys!"

"Yeah, they're yesterday's funnies!" Trigger Happy chimed in as he hopped along, "Now come on! We've still gotta find that Golden Gear thingie!"

As he heard this, Snuckles winced and opened his eyes, then breathed a sigh of relief as he caught sight of the unconscious trolls.

"Coming, Skylanders!" Snuckles shouted back. He winced again as he pulled himself back to his feet, then jogged back up to Boomer and Trigger Happy with a small chuckle.

Their party now reunited, the three of them all passed through the door with only a moment of pause taken to push some unconscious trolls out of the door's way. The hallways that followed were devoid of any sort of light, but they seemed straightforward enough that they could just keep walking until the familiar whir of an opening door showed they had reached the end! The door buzzed open to unveil another small, mechanical room full of hissing pipes and stray bombs, with the door to the next way over blocked by yet another lock puzzle!

Boomer immediately made a beeline towards the lock puzzle… But before he could even fish one measly stick of dynamite from his backpack, Snuckles pushed him out of the way.

"I'll take care of this!" Snuckles proclaimed as he dug through his pocket.

"You sure, Snuckles?" Boomer asked as he flicked his ears then made a wide smile, "I could just blow it up real quick!"

"No need!" Snuckles smiled, though the way his legs shook like fresh gelatin made his confidence seem less true, "I shouldn't make you do all the work when this is my mission!"

So, Snuckles hummed as he pulled out an assortment of tools and began sticking them in the lock puzzle's keyhole. But, well…

"Nope," Snuckles remarked as he pulled out one that vaguely looked like a screwdriver, "Not that one!"

Snuckles then grabbed another that resembled a lock picking tool and stuck it in, only to frown as it only jiggled the lock slightly. "Or that one!"

Snuckles fished out a large handful of tools from his pockets as he gritted his teeth, then stared down the lock puzzle with a frustrated glint in his eyes.

But, while he squared off with the lock puzzle, Trigger Happy and Boomer turned their attention to… Other things.

"Nope!"

Boomer precariously stacked several unlit dynamite sticks into an impressive pyramid, only for the pyramid to completely fall apart as Trigger Happy took out one of the bottom sticks.

"Not that one!"

Boomer and Trigger Happy played rock paper scissors, then Boomer groaned as Trigger Happy beat him once again.

"Nada!"

Boomer applauded Trigger Happy as Trigger Happy juggled a bunch of golden coins right as Trigger Happy lost his rhythm and dropped each coin on his head in rapid succession. Finally, they had grown so bored that they were both about ready to fall asleep, yawns and dozing off and all, when the sound of a lock puzzle hitting the ground woke them straight up!

They looked up, and sure enough Snuckles stood proud with some kind of skeleton key-looking thing in his hands and the cracked lock puzzle by the feet, all in front of a wide-open door!

"Hey, good job, Snuckles!" Boomer chirped with a quick clap of his hands, "You finally got it!"

"Oh, it was nothing!" Snuckles chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

The gate and its puzzle long forgotten in his mind, Boomer marched up the steel platforms with Trigger Happy and Snuckles close behind him. For some odd reason, he found the metal clanking sounds that the platforms made under his feet quite charming despite the circumstances.

Was it nostalgia, perhaps? Yeah, he was pretty sure that was it—after all, he hadn't been here in quite some time! But man, the place hadn't changed a bit! Well, except for the metallic suspension bridges hoisted above bubbling pools of lava that threatened to bubble or erupt completely at any moment he could see a little ways off. Boomer was pretty sure that was new.

As they watched the magma bubble and pop down below them, Snuckles shuddered once more.

"We should probably make this quick!" Snuckles shouted with a noticeable trill in his voice, "Don't wanna get caught in the lava and all! He, he…"

Trigger Happy and Boomer headed Snuckles' words as they tip-toed across the suspension bridges as fast as they could… Then they all cried out and ducked as a rocket zoomed in their general direction! Their chests pressed against the hot metal, the three of them grunted then pulled themselves up as the sound of cackling echoed throughout the room, mingled with the sound of creaking metal and popping lava bubbles.

There across from them, armed with an over-sized handheld rocket launcher… Was none other than a rocket imp!

"Yeah, they definitely didn't have these things back when I worked here!" Boomer exclaimed with a scowl as he watched the giggling imp.

Boomer rummaged through his backpack and tossed a bomb at the imp, but the imp was quick to intercept it with a pair of twin rockets! Not only did the first one slam straight into the bomb and create an explosion that shook the bridges below it, but the second hurtled straight towards Boomer, Trigger Happy and Snuckles!

They all screamed as they raced next to the bridges' railing and hung on for dear life despite the heat! Even though the rocket had zoomed past them, it still made the bridges swing like playground equipment—and worse yet, nobody could get a good shot in!

Boomer tried launching a few dynamite sticks, but the swinging threw off his aim and tossed them into the lava! The same thing happened to the bombs he had thrown, and the swinging was so intense that he had to practically wrap his entire body around to railing to keep from falling down below!

Trigger Happy, meanwhile, licked his lips as he held a gun in one hand while the other clutched the rails tight… But the moment he clicked the trigger, the bridges veered left and the gun swung out of his hand! It just fired one measly golden coin against the ceiling before it fell into the lava, never to be seen again!

"Dangit!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he watched his gun sink, but his frustration quickly faded as he ruffled through his fur, "Good thing there's more where that came from—"

Trigger Happy screamed and latched back onto the bridges as they swung again, then turned around and ducked as more rockets came down and shook the bridges.

"This doesn't look good…" Snuckles winced as he flattened himself against the railing and bit his nails, "If even the Skylanders are having trouble, then what are we gonna do?"

Boomer gritted his teeth as he clutched his slowly-boiling metallic hands against the railing, then cast a glance back at Snuckles, who just breathed in and out then gulped. Just what was that kid planning?

"Hopefully, third time's the charm!" Snuckles exclaimed as he let go of the railing and charged down the bridges, his arm swung like windmills the entire time.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Snuckles charged with gusto, impressive given that his eyes were entirely shut! But, the imp seemed less than impressed as it clicked the rocket launcher's trigger and sent a rocket flying towards Snuckles! Snuckles blinked his eyes opened and ducked right before the missile could slam into him. He breathed a sigh of relief as the missile passed over his back… Then screamed as the suspension bridges started swinging and sent him tumbling down towards the lava!

"Snuckles!" Boomer shouted as he raced over and grabbed Snuckles just before he could fall into the lava… Only to tumble backwards himself as the bridge lurched the other way!

This sudden change of direction sent Boomer rolling before it slammed his back right into the railing! Boomer shouted in pain as he lost his grip, then looked up as a scream resonated throughout the room!

There, Snuckles flew in the air alongside several of Boomer's unlit bombs, all while he screamed and flailed like he was trying to swim in the air…

"Wait, now's my chance!" Snuckles exclaimed as he turned himself towards the unlit bombs that flew with him.

Snuckles grabbed a bomb and flung it towards the imp, his eyes narrowed as he watched the bomb soar down with a path set for the imp's head… But before it could conk that stupid imp, it saw the bomb quick enough to use its rocket launcher as a shield! Instead, the bomb just clogged up the mouth of its rocket launcher!

"Aw, rats!" Snuckles moaned as he slammed down on the now-stable bridge's platform face-first, "Double rats…"

The imp smirked as it clicked the trigger of its rocket launcher… But this time, no rockets came! Instead, the rocket launcher just made a bunch of weird noises. The imp scowled as it began patting and pounding on the rocket launcher in some attempt to unclog it, its eyes completely focused on that and nothing more…

"Lucky!" Trigger Happy shouted with sparkling eyes.

While the imp fiddled with its rocket launcher, Trigger Happy whipped out his pistols and shot the imp right into nearby wall with a giant golden coin!

The golden coin peeled off of the wall with a THUNK, and in the process unveiled a very dizzy, completely unarmed imp that was now stuck to a wall like a particularly stubborn pancake.

With their foe completely incapacitated at this point, Trigger Happy, Boomer and Snuckles all dashed across the bridges, then once they were on safe, stable floors they all stopped to catch their breath.

"So much for knocking out that imp…" Snuckles sighed as he slunk against a metal wall, then jolted up as Boomer patted him on the shoulder.

"Good job, Snucks!" Boomer praised.

"I…" Snuckles looked up at Boomer with sparkling eyes, "Did a good job?"

"You bet!" Boomer nodded and beamed, "If it wasn't for your quick thinking, we might not've stopped that imp!"

"Let's give the mabu a round of backpats, everyone!" Trigger Happy shouted as he jumped up and drummed his fists on Snuckles' back.

Snuckles chuckled, then stood tall and proud as he pointed to the path ahead.

"Follow me, Skylanders! I'll lead the way!"

Boomer and Trigger Happy chuckled with each other as well, a smile of genuine glee shared between them, then raced behind Snuckles!

However, this time it was Snuckles who had the lead above them! While they were still trailing their way through the paths, he had already arrived at the gates to an open dirt field in front of a warehouse!

"Could this be…" Snuckles whispered as he pulled out his map then gasped, "It is! This is the place where the Golden Gear is!"

Snuckles stowed away the map and went to run forward, but before he cold get even a mile in a mine popped out of the blue! Snuckles immediately screamed and ran back to safety, then curled up and shuddered as the mine exploded behind him.

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy…" Snuckles bemoaned as he sat back down on the floor.

Snuckles sighed as Boomer and Trigger Happy finally caught up with him, though neither of them seemed particularly discouraged. Rather, Boomer and Trigger Happy seemed fairly contemplative as they examined the fields… Especially Boomer as he made a soft hum.

"Ah, yes, the good old minefield!" Boomer remarked as he examined the field before them, "I remember this from the olden days…"

"You do?" Snuckles prompted as he looked up towards Boomer.

"Yep! They put this baby in here to keep people from getting their most secret wares… And for BOOM parties during the holidays!" Boomer chuckled and rolled his eyes, "But then they forget where the mines were, so they made a map!"

"They did?" Snuckles made a wide smile as he jumped back to his feet.

"Well, yeah, but…" Boomer chuckled and scratched his head, "Then they tore it up and scattered the pieces so nobody could get in, and nobody's found the pieces to this day!"

Snuckles, surprisingly enough, didn't seem discouraged upon hearing this! Instead, he just pumped his fist to the skies.

"Then we'll just have to find them ourselves!"

Boomer and Trigger Happy just beamed and applauded Snuckles' enthusiasm.

"That's what I like to hear!" Boomer proclaimed as he and Trigger Happy huddled after Snuckles…

§

Chihiro's hands trembled further, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was from her nerves or the chilly breezes that flew through the forest every so often. The forest had lightened up a bit here, just enough that it made the winds grow a bit stronger…. And oh how she _loathed _it.

A light sweater and an equally-light vest were far from ideal cold weather clothing, even if they did provide a bit of insulation. Normally she'd magic herself up a coat and be on her way… But, she wasn't entirely sure if that would fall under no using magic on artifacts, so she refrained. And besides, she was far too unfocused for spellcasting anyways!

All she could think about was how she had run out of luck! She had no idea what the other things on this darn list were, and even if she did she had gotten herself ridiculously lost. Even her own footprints lead her around in circles!

"Why does this happen to me?" Chihiro moaned as she banged her head against the paper map she held in her hand, "I mean, how'd I even end up here in the first place? I'm completely lost, have no idea what I'm doing, and it's all because…"

For a moment, Chihiro thought she had caught a glimpse of Kaos, all flared with magic and ready to kill, right before her eyes… But no, he wasn't here. It was all just her imagination, here to remind her of her failures yet again. So, she had jumped back and nearly stumbled over a rock for nothing, yay!

_Why am I so messed up over this, anyways? _Chihiro thought as she traced her map's creases, _It's not like anything else bad happened after that, we still got the mission done! In the end, my slip-up didn't even matter!_

"So why do I care so much that he's so much stronger than I am?"

Chihiro stood silent as she watched the wind blow and take the leaves with it, her grasp on her map slightly looser than before. That was the question that had racked her brain for so long… But still, she found no answer to it.

After all, if strength was the only issue, surely all the training she had done over the past few days would be enough to ease her mind. And yet, no matter how many spells she cast or how strong she got, she still felt that inkling of anxiety and insecurity whenever she thought back to the battle. Was it how he nearly killed her? Well, she had been in her fair share of perilous, near-death situations at this point and after two or three she just shrugged them off. It comes with the territory of being a hero and all that, she had told herself.

So what was it that messed her up? Chihiro stared towards the still bright and blue skies as she pondered, and for a moment it felt like she had completely lost herself in the sights of nature… Then, she yelped and stumbled back as a gust of wind slammed her straight in the face!

"HEY, WATCH IT! I'M TRYING TO THINK HERE!"

Chihiro went to brush the strands of hair that were stuck in front of her hair away, but as she did she felt her hand loosen and then lighten! Chihiro made a soft chirp as she heard the sound of paper fluttering in the wind… Then realized that the wind had taken her map with it!

Wait, her map! She couldn't let it get away! After all, if she was lost with it she would be even more lost without it!

Chihiro frantically closed her bag, then bolted forward and scrambled after the map! When she came in closer view she leaped after it as high as she could… But every time she did, the map fluttered jump out of her reach!

"Hey, come back!" Chihiro demanded as she grappled with a map that kept flying out of her reach! She leaped and bounded across the grassy floors, then frowned and jumped over a rock for extra elevation—or at least, she tried. Instead, she snagged her foot on it and tripped instead.

"OWCH!"

Chihiro bit her lip and rubbed her face as she popped back up, then her hand flared with magic.

"Actually, if you don't wanna come back, then I'll make you!"

Her hands glittered with magical sparkles, then in a short flash a giant sticky hand manifested in her palm! Her grasp on it tightened, Chihiro shot out her arm and sent the sticky hand flying…

"HI-YAH!"

But her air was off by a few inches, and the sticky hand just flew into the air beside the map!

"Hi…" Chihiro clenched her teeth and grimaced, "No?"

The length of its thread reached, the sticky hand rocketed back and slapped Chihiro in the face! Chihiro made a groan as she pulled it off of her face, then tossed it into the air and watched as it vanished with the passing winds.

"I was never good with those things anyways." Chihiro fixed her eyes on the map and dashed off, "Guess I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way!"

Chihiro knelt down, then sprinted down the path and jumped after the map to find minimal success. Every time she jumped even slightly closer to it, the breeze would taunt her by carrying her map higher and higher, further and further away from her grip! Chihiro grunted as her fifth attempt resulted in another failure, then watched as the map fluttered over a stream with a large boulder beside it. Wait, she had an idea! Chihiro raced up to the boulder and scrambled up its craggy surface, only a tiny bit of mind paid to the clinking noises she heard beside her.

Finally, she reached the top and caught sight of her map as it danced in the breeze!

"Try this on for size!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaped off the boulder and came within inches of grabbing the map… Only for her to fall and crash on the ground instead!

Chihiro winced, then shrugged off the pain as she staggered back up… Only to feel a cold purple light against her face. Chihiro took a look back down at her bag, then gasped as she saw it glow a bright, ominous shade of purple!

"Hey, what's going on with this thing?" Chihiro asked as she held up her glowing bag and got ready to open it… Only to see the map flutter away.

"Actually, nevermind, I can figure that out later!"

Chihiro slid her bag back over her shoulder then ran back down the path. As she ran, she looked up to see a giant tree branch right within her reach, then grabbed onto it and climbed on its top. Once she was situated, she climbed from one branch to the other, then finally leaped right over her map… Then it flew right out of her grasp at the last moment!

"Stupid map!" Chihiro shouted so loud it shook the birds out of their trees, then she looked down and… Oh boy, that was going to be one nasty fall!

Gravity took hold shortly afterward and made Chihiro shoot downwards, the ground closed in tight and ready to give her a very bumpy landing… But before she could fall, she cast a hand out and created a bouncy, magical mushroom cap to land on instead! Chihiro smiled as she hopped on the mushroom, then slid off the cap and made chase once more.

She dodged rocks, leaped over stray branches, jumped, sprinted and climbed all she could, but once again her map continued to stray from her grip.

"Get back here!" Chihiro shouted as her map flipped away from her, only to lose her balance and conk her head on the ground, "Dangit…"

But, Chihiro shook off the pain and leaped across some smooth boulders that acted as a makeshift path across the stream her map had flown over, only to fall to her knees and pant. She hadn't realized just how much she had been running, but now it was really starting to take its toll… As Chihiro caught her breath, she felt a cold breeze against her back and turned around to find—oh no, not now!

The skies had started to dull, their bright blues soon dipping into yellows and pinks that signified the change to sunset. She had wasted so much time chasing this map, she had completely lost track of time! She'd probably never pass at this rate!

"That stupid map…" Chihiro croaked as tears stung her eyes, "If that wind hadn't blown it away, I wouldn't be wasting so much time…"—Chihiro's voice cracked as she tugged on her sweatpants—"No that's not it, I'm the only one to blame here. After all, if I hadn't got so caught up over that battle and actually studied, I wouldn't…"

Chihiro gasped as the sound of warbling paper caught her ears. Could that be? Chihiro looked up, then beamed and shook her head.

Sure enough, it was! Her map had finally stopped its voyage! Now, it was stuck within the branches of a tall, smooth tree and was stuck fast and tight.

"Looks like something's finally working out for me after all!"

Chihiro smiled, then jumped onto a nearby branch and scrambled up the tree, a hard banging sound a constant soundtrack to her climb. But, those noises weren't enough to bug her right now! Despite the odd purple light that surrounded her, Chihiro kept climbing up the tree. Finally, after one last hop she found herself the branch the map was stuck on!

She leaned forward, then frowned as something stopped her as if she was stuck on something. With a few annoyed tugs, however, she quickly broke free!

"Finally!" Chihiro beamed as she grabbed the map and straightened it out, "You caused me a lot of trouble, you know!"

Chihiro hummed to herself as she cleaned the map of leaves and creases, only to grimace as the sound of ripping fabric echoed about.

"Wait, what was that?"

Chihiro looked down and her eyes widened as she saw her collected artifacts zoom down below!

"CRAP!"

Chihiro immediately cast down a blast of magic and watched as the blast of magic rocketed past the artifacts then transformed into a platform! The platform cushioned the artifacts' landing quickly enough, and better yet it gave Chihiro just enough time to magically mend the bag!

"Phew, close one!" Chihiro sighed as she teleported down and watched the platform lower itself to her height, "Any second later and I'd be bringing those things back in pieces!"

Chihiro reached out her hand to collect the artifacts, but hesitantly drew back as she examined at the battery one. Its crack had grown bigger, and its glow was much brighter and more concerning than before, given the odd sparkles that emitted from it…

"What's wrong with this one?"

Chihiro frowned as she gently poked the battery artifact, then jumped back and yelped as it absorbed the platform's magic and glowed even brighter!

As the platform vanished, the other two artifacts dropped down onto the ground, but the glowing one still hovered above… Then it shattered completely and shot out a bunch of magical lightning bolts!

Chihiro screamed as she ducked for cover, then screamed again as another lightning bolt flew right over her.

Thankfully it had avoided singeing her, but it instead slammed right into the Guardifound! Wait, Hugo said that bad things would happen if those artifacts got hit with magic, right? Why on earth was she remembering this now?

The battery artifact's tiny, broken fragments cascaded onto the forest floor, and this time it was the Guardifound that levitated and glowed in the air! As it got absorbed by the glow, she could've sworn she heard it… Growl?

"Yeah, that cant be good," Chihiro gulped as she pressed her back against the floor.

§

"So, where do you think those map pieces are?" Trigger Happy asked as he looked up and down and all around.

"Well, in my professional opinion," Boomer said as he scratched his chin, "I don't know!"

Snuckles and Trigger Happy both faulted on the ground, but Boomer couldn't tell what for! Had they started to grow tired from all this exploring? Yeah, that was probably it.

"I mean, knowing his old coworkers and their smarts..." Boomer shrugged and scratched his scalp then looked aside, "Or lack thereof, they could have scattered those pieces anywhere!"

Boomer then frowned as he glazed over the rest of the outpost. "And this place is pretty big… It'll probably take us a day and a half just the scrounge through the entire thing, and that's based on my memory of it!"

"Well then," Snuckles said as he got up and dusted himself off, "I suppose we'll just have to start looking now!"—Snuckles wandered up to a nearby gate and smiled—"And I think I know where to begin! Look here, Skylanders!"

Boomer and Trigger Happy walked up to where Snuckles stood, then looked over at a metal sign next to the gate.

"'The gate where the minefield map pieces are,'" Boomer read with a small smile, "Oh, right! I forgot about this part!"

Snuckles smiled, then directed his attention across from the side where two identical red buttons stuck out from the rusted metal walls, paired with twin metal plates that had identical, minuscule print engraved on them. In fact, that print was so small it could barely be discerned!

"One of these buttons will probably open this gate…" Snuckles reasoned as he finger bounced back and forth between the two buttons, "But which one?"

Snuckles winced as his eyes bounced between both buttons, all while sweat crept down his forehead, then finally he gulped and hovered his finger over the first glowing red button.

"This one, maybe?" Snuckles bit his lip and hovered his finger back over the second, "But I don't know, this one seems pretty good…"—Snuckles balled his paw into a fist and smacked it against his other one—"I know how to settle this!"

Snuckles then went back to the first button and bounced his finger between the two once more.

"Eenie, meenie, minie, moe, I pick you…" Snuckles smashed his finger against the first button, "Now let's go!"

The moment Snuckles pressed down on the button, the entire area around flashed red while warning sirens blared in the distance! Yeah, something told them all that definitely wasn't the right button!

"INTRUDER ALERT, INTRUDER ALERT!" A mechanical voice blared over the intercoms, "ALL TROLLS TO BATTLE STATIONS!"

The gates receded with a shrieklike hiss, and from them tons of armed and scary-looking troll soldiers piled out and immediately aimed their guns at Boomer, Trigger Happy and Snuckles!

"Oh right, I forgot that too!" Boomer winced as he gazed over the two glowing buttons, "They put the intruder alarm right next to the doorbell!"

"… In my defense, that text was really small," Snuckles whimpered as he buried his face in his furry paws.

They all winced as the trolls shouted and ordered each other around, their voices melded into one as their guns whirred with power… And yet, Boomer seemed perfectly calm!

"Oh, hello! Don't mind us!" Boomer shouted as he dove his hands into his backpack and rummaged around.

While the enemy trolls looked at him in utter confusion, Boomer smiled and wormed a bomb out of his backpack, then gave Snuckles a wink. It was the confident kind of wink, the one that clearly said, "Don't worry, kiddo! I know exactly what I'm doing! Maybe!"

"You see, we're just passing through this lovely factooo—"

Before Boomer could finish his sentence, he yanked his hand out from behind and tossed the bomb right into the crowd of trolls!

"OOOOPSIE!"

The trolls all screamed as the bomb landed in their commander's hands, while the commander tossed it to another troll, then _that _troll tossed it to yet another troll… Soon enough, they all divulged into chaos as they played a game of hot potato! Or rather, hot BOMB-tato! And better yet, they were so preoccupied with the bomb that they had completely forgotten about little ol' Boomer and friends!

"Quick, before they realize it isn't lit!" Boomer whisper-hissed as he urged Trigger Happy and Snuckles towards the door!

The three of them scrambled through the gates, then Boomer hastily turned to the control panel next to it and pressed a couple buttons.

In response to his input, the gates slunk back up and locked themselves into place! The trolls on the other side pounded and pressed buttons, but it was of little use—those gates were sealed tight, and nothing was gonna bust them open at this point!

They were all safe within the confines of a tiny room filled with desks coated in blueprints, dust, and assorted torn-apart machines. The metal floors were littered with piles of scraps, and the trash bins were filled with all sorts of junk. Whoever was here last certainly didn't clean up after themself!

"Phew, close one," Boomer sighed as he wiped his face and grinned, "Alright boys, get searching!"

"Right, boss!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he leaped into a pile of spare nuts and bolts then tossed them everywhere—including Snuckles' head!

"Owch!" Snuckles cried out as a stray bolt bonked him and left a nice little bump as a parting gift. Small tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he rubbed his sore head, but nevertheless he pushed himself towards the machinery desks and began searching.

Snuckles frowned as he picked up blueprints, then tossed them aside in rapid succession. "Not this one, or this, or that… Hey, Captain Rizzo would probably like this one, maybe I should take it—"

"TIMBERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Boomer exclaimed as he kicked over a particularly large robot and watched it crash into a pile of scraps on the floor.

Trigger Happy winced as he jumped out of the way, then poked through the now thoroughly damaged machine and frowned.

Snuckles shrieked and practically jumped out of his fur from the noise, then yelled in pain once more as he bumped his elbow on the table behind him. He whimpered as he rubbed his elbow… Then his eyes widened in surprise as he knelt down below that same table!

"Boomy, I think you only say that when you're cutting down trees," Trigger Happy remarked as he yanked the head of the machine off and peered inside, "Nope, no map pieces here!"

"But there is one here!" Snuckles shouted as he wiggled out from under the table and sat back up. With a grunt, Snuckles pulled himself back to his feet, then brandished a scrap of paper in his hands for all to see. "Well, I think it's a map piece?"

Boomer tossed away the mechanical arm he was examining, his eyes now fixed on the paper that Snuckles held.

"Lemme see!" Boomer chirped as he hopped up to Snuckles and snatched the paper from his paws. Boomer hummed as he examined the paper… Then he made a wide gasp as his ears twitched!

"Snuckles, you did it!" Boomer wrapped Snuckles into a hug with one arm while he waved the paper all about with the other, "This is one of those map pieces!"

Boomer then hovered the scrap of paper for all to see—and sure enough, in its corner were big, crudely-scribbled letters that read "Minefield map!"

"That's one down, who knows how many to go!"

Boomer sauntered over to a nearby door and inputted something on a nearby keypad, then drew back and presented the gate as it slid down into the metal floors.

"So come on, time's a'wastin'!"

The three of them hurried through the halls as the gates shot up behind them and frowned as dim light flickered over the halls they had found themselves in.

Several doors flanked the very short part of the halls they were in, all paired with twin panels that held tons of bright red buttons. Each panel was unlabeled, with one on the left and another on the right… But just what did they do?

It seemed like Trigger Happy was the first to try and figure that out as he ran up to the doors, hummed in contemplation… Then begin jumping around and pressing as many buttons as he could!

And while he pressed all those buttons, complete and utter chaos broke out! All around them, the doors began slamming open and closed while the ceiling clapped open and shut! And worse yet, it made a ton of obnoxious, metal grinding and slamming sounds akin to nails on a chalkboard!

"Pardon me, Skylander… But don't do that!" Snuckles warned as he pulled Trigger Happy away from the button he was about the press, "You might alert the guards!"

Trigger Happy yipped as Snuckles lifted him off the ground, then frowned and turned around.

"But the door's locked," Trigger Happy refuted, "Its not like anybody's getting here—"

Trigger Happy then froze as he looked behind them. Somehow in all that button pressing, the door Boomer had locked had unlocked itself again—and more importantly, trolls had already started to file in!

"Hey, what's with all the…" Mumbled a beefed up troll-guard armed with an equally-beefy laser cannon as they prowled through the halls at the pack's helm… Until they caught sight of the Skylanders and froze.

"RACKET!?"

The troll's eyes grew wide as dinner plates, then it gripped its gun tight and went to charge in!

Boomer, Snuckles and Trigger Happy all gasped, then immediately glued themselves to the many buttons as they pressed and prodded! While they tapped and poked all these buttons, the doors slid up and down, clapping machines emerged from the panels and immediately withdrew, gunpowder drifted down from the ceiling… All sorts of effects happened, and yet none of them closed the first gate!

"Come on, come on, close already!" Trigger Happy demanded as he went back to pressing as many buttons as possible for him.

Trigger Happy shuddered as stampeding like an earthquake shook the floor, then turned back to see the trolls were closing in fast! With a squeal, he jumped up and continued to play with those buttons.

"COME ON! SERIOUSLY!"

"We don't have time!" Boomer exclaimed as he grabbed Trigger Happy and Snuckles then pushed them through an open door, "GO, GO, GO! RUN LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!"

And as the trolls stampeded through the halls, that's exactly what they did! They first bolted down the long hallway they had chosen as the trolls followed, but they hit a dead end!

"There!" Boomer pointed towards an open gate on the left and bolted down!

The race lead them down into a ten-point star-shaped hub room with doors at every point! They ran down the bottom-left one, but it just looped them right back to the start!

"Weren't we just here?" Snuckles asked as they stepped foot back into the hub room, only to scream as the trolls stormed in and hollered!

So, they bolted down the middle-right point, which in turn brought them back through the middle-left hall…

"That one!" Trigger Happy shouted as he lead them towards the upper-left one… Which also brought them back to the start.

"Okay, let's try this one!" Snuckles panted as he ran up the top leftmost one… But once again, it brought them back to where they began!

"What's with all these paths?" Snuckles shouted to the ceiling as he paced forward and practically pulled his fur out, "It's like no matter what we do, we're always back—"

Snuckles looked up, then jumped back as he found himself face to face with one of the troll guards.

"RUN AWAY!"

And before they knew it, everything had dissolved into anarchy! The trolls chased them down each and every hall, no matter what they did! Their persistence followed Boomer, Snuckles and Trigger Happy down every hall, and pressing the few button panels available did little to deter those darn trolls.

Gunpowder rained from the ceiling with one button press, but the trolls just shook it off as a particularly large one tried to pound down the Skylanders with its metal club like a living game of whack-a-chompy!

Boomer shouted out as he skidded away from the troll's attack, then his back slammed right into a control panel! He grunted as he pulled himself off of the panel, then his ears twitched as the sound of beeps and chirps echoed out.

"That can't be good," Boomer winced as he looked behind to find the panel's buttons flashed in all sorts of colors… Only to get launched in the air as the tile below his feet sprung up!

All around him, friend and foe alike were tossed into the air, the floor a springy trampoline as its parts bounced up and receded!

The enemy trolls tried to shoot off their guns, but they were either slammed straight into the ceiling before they pulled the trigger or their intended targets fell back down before the ammunition could reach! Rather, it instead ricocheted all around the room! All combat was forgotten as everyone ducked for cover or otherwise tried to seek some shelter from the storm...

And Boomer was quick to notice this as he bolted down one of the bottom paths! He panted as his running turned to stumbles, but the prominent sound of loud footsteps seemed to fill him with new energy as he leaped in the air! Boomer winced as he looked behind and saw a particularly beefy troll in his pursuit, then he turned around and a large panel caught his eye! With his pursuer quickly catching up, Boomer hastily tapped a couple buttons… And with a chirp, a gate jumped out of the floor and blocked Boomer and the other troll from each other's view!

"Phew, good things we finally shook those guys…" Boomer sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around, only to frown.

"Snucks? Trigger Happy?"

However, they were nowhere to be found! It was just Boomer, all alone in this cold, metal room.

"Hmm, that's odd…" Boomer frowned and rubbed his chin.

"We must have gotten separated when we were getting chased by those trolls! But when? Was it when we took that one turn, or was it when the ceiling dropped all that gunpowder?" Boomer knocked a fist on his head and groaned. "Darn, I can't remember at all!"

So, Boomer's frown deepened as he pulled out a lighter, then flicked it on and walked down the halls.

"Guess I'll just have to look for them myself!"

§

Snuckles whimpered as he trekked through the very dark, oddly warm, and definitely probably dangerous hallways. He wasn't sure when he got separated from the Skylanders… Two turns and four doors after he escaped from that ammo storm, maybe? Well, either way he was completely alone now, and he hated it! His legs trembled like his mother's weird jelly concoctions and his eyes hurt from all the tears that had flown down. He felt so, so, helpless and weak all on his own, and all this darkness and confusion wasn't helping that feeling.

"I hate this…" Snuckles whimpered as his knees trembled and knocked together without him even realizing, then finally he crumpled into a shuddering ball of a mabu.

"I WANNA GO HOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Snuckles' sobs resounded through the halls, an echo of his failed resolve as he shuddered and shook… Then finally, those words resounded in his mind once more.

_With us on your side, getting this gear back will be a piece of pie!_

"That's right, the Skylanders are with me too… Somewhere…" Snuckles whispered as he wiped his tears and shuddered.

Well, he should have felt encouraged by that, but thinking about it just made him even more uneasy. Those two Skylanders, they were nice and all, but also kind of… Weird, he guessed? Well, that was probably the nice way of putting it. Either way, though, he was sure they were working super hard to find this map and get that gear, which meant he had to work hard, too! After all, he couldn't make them do all the work on his first mission! He didn't want to let them down, even if they were a bit strange.

So, Snuckles picked himself up off the ground, fired up his flashlight and trekked down the halls once more. He felt his spirits lift as the sound of mechanical whirring echoed throughout the near identical halls and repeated paths. Perhaps this was a sign he had found something! And indeed, he did! After a few more steps, he found a door with a bright red button that just begged to be pressed! So, he pressed it… But oddly enough, enough, though he heard the familiar sound of an opening door, the door that sat in front of him didn't open?

Snuckles turned his flashlight to the left and found an open passageway. Guess that was what that button unlocked—maybe that one had the switch he was actually looking for? So he walked inside, and the moment he did, his flashlight flickered out!

"Oh come on," Snuckles whimpered as he shook his flashlight, "Turn on, turn on, please!"

Snuckles shook the flashlight a little more, and in response the flashlight decided to fly out of his paws and rolls into the depths of the darkness! Great, just great! Stuck in a dark passageway with no light! Snuckles' legs started to shake as he chased after the sound of his flashlight rolling across the floor, only for him to trip on his own feet and fall flat on his face!

While Snuckles sniffled and rubbed his aching face, the sound of a door opening sounded off behind him… But he definitely hadn't pressed a switch, he would've felt that for sure. Had the Skylanders come back for him?

"WELL, LOOK WHAT WE HAVE HERE!"

As the sound of cackling took the place of the door, Snuckles turned around and found that nope, that wasn't the case. It was the trolls he had shaken earlier!

Though their bodies were barely visible against this harsh darkness, the light from their guns illuminated their faces enough to show that they weren't happy! They all scowled as they readied their weapons, while a bunch of bright red dots appeared on Snuckles' body!

Snuckles wanted to run, he really did, but that sudden fall must have taken more out of him than he thought, because he could barely move a muscle! All he could do was sit and watch in horror as the trolls closed in on him…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

§

Meanwhile, halfway across the maze, Boomer's ears twitched as he poked his head around the corner. Sure enough, he had found himself back in the break room! Even with this labyrinthine maze, he could always count on this to be the one room he'd always find, having spent many an afternoon contemplating life and other things during his meals…

But, now wasn't the time for contemplating, it was the time for action!

Well, it would be if the break room hadn't been filled by trolls and imps who peaceful snoozed away when they were probably supposed to be on high alert. Well, not that anybody ever kept track of that kind of stuff anyways. But, if he didn't want an incredibly explosive and one-sided fight on his hands, he was probably going to have to keep quiet.

So, Boomer shushed himself then tip-toed across the halls…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Boomer's ears twitched while he whipped his head around.

Wait a second, who was screaming? It certainly didn't come from him! Did somebody get their hand stuck in a bomb or something? Whoever's scream it was, it was loud enough that it made everybody in the break room immediately jolt up and man their stations!

"GUARDS, INVESTIGATE THAT NOISE!" Exclaimed one fancily-armored troll who still had sticky papers stuck to their face as they pointed towards the open door!

Boomer yipped and immediately flattened himself against the back wall. He gritted his teeth as the guards all scampered in a big flurry ahead of him, no mind paid to the troll who had his back flat against the wall… Or the paper that fluttered in the breeze behind them!

Boomer grabbed the paper, then smiled as he looked it over! On it was some crudely-scribbled directions, along with part of a faded, clearly disobeyed instruction to not tear this paper under any cost… And the words "Minefield Map." Yep, this had to be the next map piece!

"Man, talk about lucky!" Boomer chuckled as he clutched the map piece tight, "Well, for me anyways, not so much whoever was screaming."

Boomer then hummed a tune as he walked up to the nearby door and opened it with a simple button's touch.

"Hope that person's not in any big trouble…"

The map piece held tight in his mechanical hand, Boomer opened the door before him with a free hand then bounded out to find… None other than an inattentive Trigger Happy!

"Trigger Happy!" Boomer called as he waved towards Trigger Happy, "Good to see you, buddy!"

"Huh?" Trigger Happy's ears twitched, then he turned around and beamed, "Boomy, there you are!"

Trigger Happy giggled as he leaped into Boomer's arms, then he climbed onto Boomer's bald scalp and kicked his stubby little legs. "I thought you got stuck in a box!"

"You bet I'm here! And you won't believe what I found!" Boomer lifted the map piece to Trigger Happy's line of sight and waved it just a bit, "The next map piece!"

Trigger Happy's smile grew even wider as he hopped off of Boomer's head and did a little jig from the sheer glee he surely felt!

"Maps, maps, maps, we're gonna get the maps…" Trigger Happy stopped mid-dance, then frowned and looked around, "Hey, on another note, where's Snuckles?"

Boomer's own smile quickly faded to a frown as he looked around. Now that Trigger Happy mentioned it, Snuckles was still missing! And that kid would probably be dinner bait on his own… Where'd he go?

Trigger Happy frowned as well as he looked at Boomer, then sighed.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine!" Trigger Happy chirped as he caught sight of the concerned frown on Boomer's face, "He probably just took a wrong left or something! He'll find out before you can even say 'honey cream pancakes!'"

"But, still… We did say we'd keep that kid safe." Boomer straightened out his beard and adjusted his backpack, "And with him wandering around all on his lonesome and stuff, who knows what could happen!"

Trigger Happy's own smile faded into a reluctant frown. "I guess you're right, Boomy."

Trigger Happy and Boomer both looked towards the gate they came from. They've been through such a long, winding way, and surely Snuckles had gotten even more lost than they had! Just where was he?

"Maybe we should retrace our steps?" Trigger Happy asked with a shrug, "Who knows, we might've passed him without noticing him or something! That's happened to me lots of times before!"

So, Boomer shrugged, walked up to the gates and opened them once more with a few button presses. With Trigger Happy by his side, he trailed down the long, winding halls, took a few turns right, then skedaddled down left, walked straight down… Wait, did he take the right or the left turn last time?

Did he even take a turn at all?

Boomer moaned and looked behind him, but at this point the halls and corridors had all started to blend together in his mind. Guess he had no choice but to continue walking down the path before him, unfamiliar as it was. It almost felt hard to believe that once upon a time, he knew this place like the back of his hand!

_Wait, _Boomer thought as he examined the back of his hand and scrunched his brows, _I'm prettyyyyyyyyy sure that one circuit is new…_

"Hey, Boomy?" Trigger Happy urged as he shook Boomer's shoulder, "I don't wanna freak you out, but…"—Trigger Happy looked left and right then shrugged—"I think we're lost."

Boomer jumped up and make a couple hearty laughs. Silly Trigger Happy, there was no need to worry! That's what he wanted to say, after all, he knew this place so well, there was no way they could be completely lost! Wherever they went, surely he'd…

Wait a second, he didn't remember walking on this railed platform bridge.

"When did we get here?" Boomer asked as he looked around and frowned.

"Five minutes ago?" Trigger Happy shrugged, then he looked right and skipped away as if something had caught his attention.

Stuck between the itty-bitty spaces in the bridge's railing was some kind of… Note maybe? Whatever it was, Trigger Happy yanked it out of the rails, then unfurled it and smoothed out the many creases in its papers.

"Boomy, Boomy! Look!"

Trigger Happy jumped in front and back and all around Boomer in such an excited haze that it made Boomer's head spin just trying to keep up! Boomer groaned as he swayed back and forth, then shook his head right as Trigger Happy shoved the piece of paper in his face!

"It's that next map piece!" Trigger Happy grinned, then his grin faded as he lowered the paper and looked over it himself, "At least, I think it is…"

Boomer took the paper, then grabbed the other two map pieces out of his pocket and compared them against the faint, fluorescent light from overhead. As he moved the pieces closer and closer in, he couldn't help but beam. They matched up perfectly!

"By Troll Bunyan's boots, you've got it, Trigger Happy!" Boomer grinned for a few moments more then stuffed the map pieces away in his pocket, "And better yet, this map's nearly done!"

"So what are we waiting for?" Trigger Happy bounced around Boomer a few more times then ran across the platform, "Let's find the rest of that map!"

Boomer grinned as he followed Trigger Happy down the way, his mind now completely fixed on finding the last bit of the map! But at the same time, a nagging feeling egged on in his brain, as if he had forgotten something important… Was he looking for something?

Oh well, whatever it was he could surely find it after he got this map assembled!

§

As Chihiro stepped back and watched the artifact's glow grow bigger, she couldn't help but wonder… Oh god, what did she just get herself into? As the glow became brighter and brighter, bigger and bigger, it slowly took what appeared to be a solid form—a big, hulking solid form with muscular arms and stocky legs, complete with a tiny head to match.

The form grew more detailed as the light started to fade, now clad in different shades of neon purple that painted translucent bodies carved with intricate line markings. Its face had simple depressions in lieu of eyes and a fanged, almost beak or muzzle like mouth. The appearance seemed so simple, and yet, so horrifying… And worse yet, the Guardifound it was born from was stuck square in its chest, surrounded by fountains of brightly-colored sparkles!

Chihiro winced as she looked over the monster, then her eyes glazed towards the artifact stuck in its chest once more. The chest itself had a decently-sized crack in it, one perhaps born from the crack she had spied in that battery artifact that gave it life. Maybe, just maybe, she could reach in and pull it out?

While the monster made low growls and looked around, Chihiro leaped forward and plunged her hand into its chest… To no avail! Before she could even do anything, the monster grabbed her by the arm and tossed her into a nearby tree! Chihiro screamed in utter pain as she slammed against the tree trunk and slid down.

While she cradled her dizzy head, she staggered back up just in time to see the monster turn itself towards the mini-mechanizer that laid hapless on the floor. It held out one meaty, clawed hand, and from that hand sprung out another bolt of magical lightning! The magic lightning bolt hit the mini-mechanizer, which was surrounded by a bright, this time orange light… Then it growled and emerged a new monster, near-identical to the first save for its floral decorations and orange coloring!

Chihiro gasped as she watched the monster stretch and test out its new limbs, but not for long.

The Guardifound shot a few more bolts into the depths of the woods, and from those came bright bursts of light that stood out well against the darkness of their depths. Soon enough, more of those monster crept out from the woods, each with their own unique colors and traits but no less horrifying.

Not that Chihiro had time to note them all, because before she knew it they had all ganged up on her, ready to attack! Chihiro cast a shield as one sent a punch her way, but the punch just shot right through the shield and shattered it! As the monster leaned forward, she jumped out of its path and teleported out of their circle.

"I know Hugo said not to use magic on you guys…" Chihiro said as she crafted a magic sphere and shot it right towards them, "But I think he'd understand in this case!"

The blast rocketed towards the first Guardifound, but it only grabbed the sphere and cracked it like an egg!

"What the heck?" Chihiro stumbled back and gasped, "It didn't even get a chance to hit the darn thing!"

Before Chihiro could react further, something slammed against her and knocked her into a nearby tree! Chihiro winced as her back burned with pain, but bit her lip to keep the tears from coming. Instead, she looked up and shot another magic sphere at the monster that just attacked her—but the monster simply batted it away like an annoying fly!

"Alright… Magic spheres are out of the question…" Chihiro grunted as she lurched down and felt magic crackle within her body as she held out her hands, "BUT WHAT ABOUT MAGIC HAMMERS?!"

Chihiro summoned a magic hammer, then teleported behind two of the backmost monsters and smacked them right in the back! They were so caught off, they rocketed off into the other monsters like golf balls and slammed them all right into the nearby flora!

"Finally, it hit—" Chihiro's smile turned into wide shock as the Guardifound latched onto her hammer and forced her to release it, "SOMETHING!"

Chihiro jumped back, then ducked as the monster swung her own hammer at her and tossed it at a nearby rock. Though she didn't see the impact, the loud crashing and cracking noises she heard behind her told her enough to know that her hammer was done for!

_Crap, looks like they can counter any of my magic attacks! _Chihiro thought as she scrambled back, _And shields are out of the question, they'll just shatter those too! What do I do?_

Chihiro's eyes widened, then she held out her hand as sweat poured down. _That's right, looks like it's time to practice those advanced spells I was trying out!_

Chihiro narrowed her eyes and gulped again, all while her body shook like crinkled autumn leaves in the breeze. While a sliver of confidence flared in her heart, it was eaten up by the panic and anticipation she felt instead.

_Come on, give me a nice, big chain reaction spell! _Chihiro had begged, her eyes now closed tight as she tried to focus her shaky heart... Then she shot those eyes wide open as she heard the sound of crackling electricicty!

Turns out, nothing had come out of her hand but a few sparkles! No kind of orb or spell to be seen!

"Come on, come on, now's not the time!" Chihiro exclaimed as she shook her hand and shuddered, "If that's not gonna work, give me a time-stop spell! A magic minion spell! JUST DO SOMETHING!"

But alas, the more spells and requests and pleas Chihiro tossed out, the more her hand sparkled. It was almost like it was laughing at her, mocking her desperate cries to help her get out of this awful, awful situation! With nothing else possible to do and the monsters' growling much louder and more ominous, Chihiro whimpered as the monsters ganged up on her, then looked up to see their menacing faces morphed into… Kaos's face? What was going on here?

"_You fool, there's no way someone like you could defeat me! You may think you're some big hero…"_ The monsters became a mocking chorus of annoying birds while they chided in Kaos's voice, "_But in the end, you're nothing more than a helpless child impersonating a warrior!_"

Kaos's crooning, stinging laughter echoed all around as the Kaos-faced monsters laughed right in Chihiro's face! And worse yet, Chihiro could do nothing about it. All she could do was sit and watch, frozen in fear as they all mocked her for the pathetic, useless being she was! So weak, so helpless, so completely unable to defend herself or do anything about the mess she made.

"_Now, stand there and let me show you what we do to you SO-CALLED HEROES!"_

All she could do was curl into a ball and sob as her failures became the death of her… But that death never came! All she heard was groaning that made her open and wipe her teary eyes.

Rather than attacking, the monsters had covered her ears and shook their heads, as if something had hurt their heads… Wait a second!

"My crying throws you off, huh?" Chihiro snarled as she summoned a megaphone and raised it to her lips, "WELL HOW 'BOUT I CRY YOU A RIVER?!"

Chihiro made strangled sobs as she held the microphone down, then raised a face both grief-wrecked and furious at the same time.

"AFTER ALL, I'M AN UTTER FAILURE AS A PORTAL MASTER! I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAT KAOS, I MESSED UP THIS EXAM, AND I CAN'T EVEN STOP YOU GUYS! I KEEP TRYING AND TRYING TO GET STRONGER AND BETTER AND SMARTER BUT, I, I, I, I'LL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING RIGHT EVER AGAIN!"

The monster clamped their hands around their heads even further, though even with them distracted Chihiro hardly felt better. If anything, saying all that stuff out loud made her feel even worse!

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT I'M DOING WRONG, EITHER! I'VE BEEN TRAINING AND FIGHTING SO HARD, BUT NONE OF IT EVEN MATTERED! I COULDN'T LAND A SINGLE THING ON YOU! AND IF I CAN'T CAST A SINGLE, STUPID SPELL AND BEAT YOU GUYS…" Chihiro croaked and gasped for air as hot waterfalls poured down her face, then found herself struck silent as the megaphone slipped out of her hands.

"I'll never be able to beat Kaos."

Chihiro just stared wide-eyed in total shock, while the entire world around her had blurred into a chorus of melded colors and sounds. Soon enough, that strange chorus had warped into the broken, leveled forests of the Fairy Kingdom

_No, no, what's happening? This isn't real, I'm not at the Fairy Kingdom, I'm back at Ancient's Peak! And Kaos isn't here, he isn't! _Chihiro thought as memories of that battle flashed through her brain, the same battle where she could barely cast a single spell to nail down her worst foe. Once again her whole body locked up as the monsters all morphed into proper reflections of Kaos, with those soul-piercing eyes and those bright, magical flames ready to strike.

"NO, NO, NO!" Chihiro screamed as hard as she could as she backed closer and closer, until she hit something prickly and leafy, "STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!"

The shrill, terrified tone of Chihiro's finally melted away into something more remorseful and full of sadness as she felt the thing behind her and saw the area morph back into the forests of Ancient's Peak, and the Kaos clones into the monsters she was faced with earlier... But, she could hardly be filled with relief! With whimpering tears, she lurched down and held another hand over her hot, puffy face.

"What's going on? What's wrong with me?"

Just before she could sob some more, one of the monsters swung forward and punched Chihiro in the gut! Chihiro screamed as she flung into the bushes, then grunted and pulled herself up… Only to find that the monsters had closed her in once more!

They lurched towards her like zombies and imposed themselves over her form, so big and lurking compared to her own small body. Out the corner of her eye, she saw the original, purple monster stomp on her megaphone and smash its bits underneath her foot. Great, there went her one chance to stop them!

Chihiro whimpered, then looked up and watched frozen stiff as the monsters completely surrounded her and raised their attacks.

Now she really was finished.

§

Snuckles groaned as his blurry, blurry vision started to clear, while his head still throbbed with searing pain. He could only vaguely remember what had happened beforehand, just the sounds of jeering laughter and whirring guns that poked holes through a blanket of darkness. How had he gotten himself here? Snuckles tried to get up and move around, but it seem like no matter what he tried, something tough and itchy kept him bound to wherever he sat. What was going on here?

"He finally came to, boys!" shouted some blurry orange figure in the distance as a shuffling crowd of multi-color blobs all formed around him… Wait.

Snuckles' vision finally cleared, and he found that those weren't blobs, they were trolls! He vaguely recognized the ones around him as the trolls who had cornered him in that strange hallway maze, but the one in front wasn't in their ranks. And yet, Snuckles recognized him from somewhere… Hold on, wasn't he that Boomington fellow that he and the Skylanders had run into when they first arrived?

Whoever he was, he immediately shone a flashlight in Snuckles' face, a flashlight with a light so bright in almost completely blinded him!

"Well well, looks like the Skylanders' little mabu friend is all alone and helpless…" Boomington crowed as he continued shining the flashlight, "What luck!"

Boomington then slammed a hand on a nearby table, the sound so intense it made Snuckles flinch.

"Alright, tell us!" The light faded and unveiled Boomington's face, which was now fit with a snarl, "What did you and the Skylanders come for?"

"Like I'd tell you! I'm a super secret agent, and that makes my super secrets have to stay super secret!" Snuckles snarled the most intimidating snarl he could make, but it quickly faded as he writhed in his seat, "Now untie me! These ropes are really itchy…"

However, Boomington seemed the furthest thing from intimidated—he simply cackled and raised an eyebrow at Snuckles!

"Super secret huh?" Boomington's smile spread across his thin, chapped lips as he grabbed a bomb from his pocket and tossed it like a baseball, "Maybe, if I blow you to bits, all those super secrets will come out!"

"Never!" Snuckles whimpered and looked aside, "I'm not even sure that's how it works, anyways!"

"What about if we toss ya into the lava pits?" Suggested one troll

"Or send our trollbots to tear you limb from limb?" Asked another.

"Ooh, ooh," Shouted another, smaller troll as they bounced over the crowds, "I say we cook 'em into mabu stew!"

Snuckles winced as the trolls all chatter and threaten him, their eyes seared into him like lasers through metal. He squirmed and struggled as he tried to make himself as small as possible against the large, intimidating crowds, with their gnashing fangs and beady eyes that only glistened as they suggested all those ways to bring about his end… But no matter what he did, he couldn't escape! He could only watch as their threats ganged up on him.

"FRY HIM!"

"BOIL HIM!"

"TURN HIM INTO A ROBOT!"

Their laughter and jeers and haunting, droning voices all ran circles around Snuckles, or maybe that was his head spinning as he broke into a cold, shaky sweat. Snuckles could feel his entire body clam up like that time he got called on during the spelling bee when he was seven, and every piece of him was ready to burst from fear… All of a sudden, he was really starting to reconsider this whole secret agent business.

The trolls practically smelled his fear and only laughed more as they closed closer and closer in on him, then…

He was saved! Well, if you counted a loud, red siren flashing and getting all the trolls attention as being saved, that is!

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDERS HAVE INFILTRATED SECTION V!" Blared some robotic voice as part of the ceiling unfolded and a screen popped out.

The trolls all turned away from Snuckles and fixed their eyes on the screen as it flashed on, and Snuckles did as well from sheer curiosity. There, on its grainy, well, screen, it showed footage…

Of those Skylanders Snuckles was with, Boomer and Trigger Happy, as they examined some kind of pressed button on a platform!

The trolls gasped and snarled, but Boomington seemed perfectly composed as he turned back to Snuckles and sneered.

"Actually, mabu, it's your lucky day!" Boomington proclaimed as he cracked his knuckles, "We've got a little job for ya!"

"What, what are you talking about?" Snuckles questioned as his knees turned to jelly, "I'm not doing anything for you!"

"Didn't say you had a choice!" Boomington grabbed a cloth from the table, then tied it tight around Snuckles' mouth, "Now quit your blabbing and come on!"

And so, the trolls grabbed their weapons and stormed out the room, save for Boomington who simply heaved Snuckles over his shoulder and waltzed right out. His grip was strong and tight—so strong and tight, in fact, that Snuckles couldn't break free no matter which one of his very limited options he tried! He squirmed, kicked, wiggled, but none of that mattered!

"We've got to meet up with our old buddies, the Skylanders!"

§

"Alright, I think that's the fourth door we passed this hour," Boomer panted as he and Trigger Happy ran through the door, then sighed and fell to their feet, "Either my memory's going bad, or they really redid the place after I left!"

While Boomer took a moment to rest, Trigger Happy hopped forward and examined the room around. Once again it was a particularly simple workroom with benches, half-made machines, and metal flooring and metal panel walls that seemed about ready to come out at any moment—they really did not like variety around here, it seemed. The only difference was that the floor seemed to bend under their weight, almost like it was made of rubber rather than metal!

And apparently, somebody had left a scrap of folded paper that had been turned on its back on the floor! Trigger Happy lifted up the paper, then hummed in curiosity for a moment as he tapped his foot against the metal floors.

"Hey, Boomy, I think this is it!" Trigger Happy proclaimed as he turned around and waved the paper at Boomer, "It was just lying on the floor, too, talk about lucky!"

Boomer beamed as he saw the paper on Trigger Happy's hand, but the moment he heard that last bit he frowned.

"Just… Lying there? That sounds a little too easy," Boomer said as he looked over Trigger Happy's shoulder, a cautious eye directed at the paper, "Well, let's see it then."

He frowned as he unfolded it, then turned it around and raised an eyebrow.

"'Psyche!'" Trigger Happy read as he made a confused chirp, "What're they psyching us up for?"

STOMP, STOMP, STOMP!

Trigger Happy and Boomer froze as the sound of massive stomping and pounding noises enveloped them while the paper drifted out of their hands.

Out from opened panels in the walls came trolls soldiers, all dressed to the nines in armor and weaponry! Worse yet, these trolls had blocked off any sort of exit, and they seemingly knew this as they sneered and loaded their arms.

"It was a trap!" Boomer exclaimed with a snarl.

Boomer immediately reached back and went to get his bombs, and Trigger Happy bore a similar frown as he reached for his guns… Only for them to drop their weapons as several trolls parted to form a path around a flashing warp panel.

Trigger Happy gasped and stepped back, but Boomer didn't relent. Instead, Boomer just growled low as he stared at the one who came from the warp panel's light!

"BOOMINGTON!" Boomer called.

Sure enough, Boomington stood tall and smug, with a rope-bound Snuckles laid at his side!

"I wouldn't be so hasty, if I were you…" Boomington remarked as he poked a laser gun at Snuckles' head, "You try any funny business, and the mabu gets it!"

Snuckles said no words—not that could anyways, given that his mouth had been covered by a tightly-tied blindfold—but the guilty, sorrowful look he gave Boomer and Trigger Happy said enough words on its own.

"Oh, kid…" Boomer whispered as he gently folded his hands together, a bit of concern in his eyes… Then finally he shook his head and the rage returned.

"Fine then! What do you want, Boomington?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Boomington lifted the laser gun and waved it around in a circle, "I want you to surrender!"

Boomer winced, then looked back at his pocket where the map pieces he had collected still resided. Finally, he dove a hand into his pocket and sighed.

"Alright, Boomington. You win." Boomer trudged forward with his head hung low, "Just don't hurt the kid, alright?"

Boomington, however, only smirked. "Never thought I'd see the day when you'd lose to me, Boomer!"

Boomer sighed again and held out his hand.

"Let's shake on it, alright?" Boomer asked, a bit of the weariness in his voice receded as Boomington went to shake his hand… But before they could shake, Boomer smirked and tapped something into Boomington's pocket!

"NOT!"

Boomer grinned as Boomington whipped around, then looked down in his pocket and screamed as he found just what Boomer had stuffed in his pocket—a burning stick of dynamite!

"BOOMERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Boomington cried as he yanked the dynamite stick out of his pocket and frantically juggled it.

"That's my name…" Boomer remarked as he sneaked around and yanked Snuckles by the ropes, "Don't wear it out!"

Boomer dashed back to Trigger Happy, then shoved Snuckles in Trigger Happy's arms and beamed.

"You untie Snuckles!" Boomer smiled and cracked his knuckles, "I'll try and buy us some time!"

After a few more knuckle cracks, Boomer leaped into the air, then slammed forward and pounded into the ground with both fists! The impact from his pounding was so great, it caused the floors to concave and created a makeshift shield out of the rubbery metal paneling!

"Bouncy metal, one of the better additions to the factory if you ask me." Boomer wiped his hands clean of any dust, then turned around and beamed as Trigger Happy untied the cloth around Snuckles' mouth, "How're you doing, Snucks?"

"Oh, oh great Ancients!" Snuckles panted as he looked back to Boomer and Trigger Happy with wide eyes, "I thought I was done for…"

"Nope! We're not letting you go that easy!" Trigger Happy chirped as he patted Snuckles, then went to untie the ropes that kept Snuckles bound tight… Though they wouldn't budge, much to his disdain.

"And neither will these ropes, apparently!" Trigger Happy sniffed the air, then frowned and turned to Boomer, "Is it just me, or do you smell something burning?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Boomer said as he frowned and sniffed as well, then twitched his ears. "And I think I hear something burning, too!"

Boomer looked up, then gasped and reached for the inside of his backpack.

"NEVERMIND, I FOUND IT!"

The dynamite stick that he had sneaked into Boomington's pocket was flying towards him, and worse yet, it was about ready to blow! So, Boomer immediately snagged a bomb from his backpack, lit it then threw it right at the dynamite stick!

A gigantic explosion rumbled through the ceiling, and the shockwaves it left behind were so great that it flipped the metal floors back to normal!

All three of them cried in pain as they were flung upwards and hit their heads on the ceiling, then shot back down and hit their heads on the floor. They didn't have time to rest and recover, however, because the moment the floors settled the trolls immediately readied their weapons! So, Boomer and Trigger Happy launched forward and shot off a round of golden pots and burning bombs that sent the trolls flying through the air!

Several of Trigger Happy's pots immediately knocked down a few of the soldiers, though the impact of them hitting the floor was so great it sent shockwaves like tidal waves rippling through the room!

Boomer yelled in surprise as the tide lifted him up, only to snarl as he caught sign of a much less fazed Boomington!

Boomington grabbed his laser gun and immediately pulled the trigger… But before his lasers could hit Boomer, Boomer pounded into the floors and caused a geyser of metal to shoot forth and intercept the lasers!

"WHAT?" Boomington snarled as he took a step forward, "How dare you use our own factory against—"

But, before Boomington could finish his sentence, Boomer punched several of the panels and slapped them straight at Boomington! Boomington cursed out muffled insults as he tried to rip the panels off, only to stumble off of the wave he rode on and tumble down the hill, his muffled curses turned to muffle screams!

Boomer smiled as the metal geyser receded and he got to see Boomington roll down, then he yelped as his own wave collapsed back to normalcy! Though he feel, his fall was at the very least softened by something orange and squishy… Wait. Boomer groaned and rubbed his head, then turned around to find that he fell on another, larger troll's shoulder!

"Whoops, don't mind me!" Boomer chuckled as he jumped off of the troll's shoulder and backed away, "Just kind of landed in the wrong place, no harm meant…"

The troll, however, just growled and wielded a mechanical mace, fully ready to smack Boomer like a ball… But before it could, a gigantic golden pot beaned it on the head and knocked it unconscious, complete with another rippling shockwave!

"EAT GOLD, YOU BIG BOZO!" Trigger Happy shouted as he flew in the skies and shot off his guns, which in turn shot several gold coins right at the ceiling!

These golden coins ricocheted right off the ceiling, then slammed right into the foreheads of the nearby flying trolls and shot them back into the floor!

While Boomer and Trigger Happy fell down to the floor and fought off trolls, complete with the scent of dynamite and soot filtered into the air, Snuckles squirmed away and took sanctuary under one of the few tables that hadn't been overturned in the fight.

"Thank goodness, that was close!" Snuckles sighed as he watched the fighting with worried eyes, then paused as the sound of crinkling paper underneath his foot.

Snuckles fell to his front, then nudged the paper he had found over with his nose… And gasped!

"SKYLANDERS!" Snuckles called as he flipped himself back to full height, "Skylanders, look, I found—"—Snuckles winced as he hit his head on top on the table and slunk down—"Something… Owie…"

Snuckles winced as he examined the raging combat, only for his ears to twitch while a hissing sound resounded beneath him. He looked down… Then screamed and scrambled away as a stray bomb of Boomer's exploded right where he last stood!

Not that Boomer noticed, anyways. After all, so many trolls had swarmed him that he had his hands literally full! He tossed bombs left to right and blew trolls into the walls, all while hot sweat wet his head. Boomer clenched his teeth as he grabbed another bomb, then lit and tossed it…

But when it exploded, he found that it left behind no traditional explosion—but rather a sticky, hot mess of sugar that stuck several trolls right to the spot!

"SUGAR?" Boomer exclaimed as he stepped back and dropped all the bombs he was holding from pure shock, "WHAT THE—"

"Oh, the sugar bombs!" Trigger Happy chirped as he hopped up beside Boomer, "I completely forgot I did that!"

Boomer, however, just whipped his head around and pointed a very accusing finger at Trigger Happy. "So it WAS you!"

Trigger Happy gave a very uncomfortable grin and backed away from Boomer.

"Actually, I just remembered that I have somewhere else I really need to be right now!" Trigger Happy's grin turned more genuine as he whipped out a large, golden machine gun and set it on the floor, "TARGET PRACTICE!"

With a couple clicks of his gun's trigger, golden coins like bullets shot out from the gun and mowed down not just the trolls Boomer had stuck with the sugar bomb, but the rest of them as well! Trolls slammed into the walls and left troll-sized indents as their weapons fell to the ground in a mechanical mess, while others skidded along the floors and mowed their still-standing forces down like bowling pins!

And in the center of it all, Trigger Happy blabbered out gleeful nonsense, his tongue lolled out of his mouth as he spun around his gun with rapid timing!

Boomington finally pulled the metal panels off of his face, then yelled and ducked as a round of coins grazed above his helmet and shot into the walls! He breathed a sigh of relief, but only for a moment before he rolled out the way of several trolls who were less fortunate than he was in the not getting hit department. The look of fear in his eyes showed that he knew he was outmatched, and if that didn't, well…

"That's it, I'm outta here!" Boomington cried as he jumped to his feet and ran, only to slow down as he caught sight of Snuckles trying to make a getaway as well! Boomington smirked, then raced forward and snatched Snuckles by the back of the ropes that kept him bound.

"SEE YA, SUCKERS!"

Boomer gasped as he caught sight of Boomington and Snuckles, then charged forward with all the speed he could muster!

"Let go of him, Boomington!" Boomer demanded… But he was too late.

Before Boomer could even catch up, Boomington had already jumped on a nearby warp panel and was whisked away in a flash of light!

"If you want this mabu back so badly, meet me on the minefields!"

Boomer could only reach out his hand in some fruitless attempt to take back Snuckles, his eyes widened in shock…

"The minefields… Don't tell me…" Boomer whispered as his face fell into a gaped jaw.

However, Trigger Happy seemed less than concerned as he fell to his knees and scrounged around a couple of tables that got upturned during the big fight. He hummed a tune as he pushed past some old chairs… Then gasped with glee as he snagged a scrap of paper from the floor!

"Boomy, Boomy, I found it!" Trigger Happy exclaimed as he hopped up to Boomer, "The last map piece!"

"You did?" Boomer exclaimed as he whipped around and took the paper from Trigger Happy, then his fallen face rose into a smile once more, "You did!"

Boomer laid out all four pieces of the map on the floor and dragged his finger through the less solid remainder of the sugary mess his sugar bomb had left behind. With the sugar used as a makeshift glue, Boomer stuck the map back together piece by piece… And when the sugar glue finally hardened, he smiled and lifted it up for both of them to see!

"That's it!" Boomer rolled the map up and tucked it within his bushy beard, then raced towards the warp panel, "Come on, Trigger Happy! We've got a mabu to save!"

Trigger Happy giggled, then hopped after Boomer. As the two of them drew just inches away from the warp panel, they both nodded and jumped on it simultaneously before they vanished within its bright light…

§

With another flash of light, Boomer and Trigger Happy stepped off the warp panel and found themselves back at the open mouth of the minefield, where Boomington and Snuckles stood square in front of the gate's open mouth. For a rare moment in their entire lives, Trigger Happy and Boomer couldn't find it in them to smile or a crack a joke. All they could do was stare down Boomington as he kept Snuckles held tight.

"So, Boomy…" Trigger Happy asked as he scratched his head and looked up at Boomer, "What exactly is BOOM! Anyways?"

"Well, Trigger Happy," Boomer replied as he stretched his arms to the murky skies, "There's a lot of troll games called BOOM!"—Boomer stretched out his fingers one by one—"There's the one where you make a chompy fetch lit dynamite, the one where you see how long you can juggle lit bombs, the one where you stack up dynamite sticks and see how many you can take out before they all fall and explode—"

"BUT NONE OF THOSE ARE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE!" Boomington exclaimed as he stomped his foot, "If you wanna free your little buddy here…"

Boomington shook Snuckles for emphasis, then gestured out to the open minefield before them.

"You have to navigate through this minefield and not activate a single mine!"

Boomer and Trigger Happy both gasped, but Boomington wasn't nearly as concerned. He only cackled and toyed a bit with a badge on his chest.

"Good luck!" Boomington sneered as he was engulfed by light, "Not!"

Boomer only scoffed and crossed his arms as he watched Boomington and Snuckles reappear on the other end of the minefield.

"Oh, forget that! If I beat you once, I'll beat you again!" Boomer looked towards Trigger Happy and winked, "Come on, Trigger Happy!"

Trigger Happy frowned a bit at first, but as he saw the wink Boomer gave him he burst into one of his trademark wide smile.

So, the two of them laughed and dove headfirst into the minefield! They giggled as they marched through the fields, joked around and sang jaunty songs to each other… And yet, despite their seeming carelessness they didn't activate a single mine! It was like they knew every inch of it by heart!

"FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW, FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW~" Trigger Happy sang as he bounced back and forth in front of Boomer then whipped around in a way that completely covered Boomer's front, "Okay, what direction do we go in now?"

Boomer's eyes glazed over the minefield map for a few seconds, then he quickly shoved it back into his beard.

"We go west!" Boomer whispered, his mouth masked by his gigantic mechanical hands.

The two of them nodded, then carefully trailed down the westmost path… Only to turn around and giggle as they caught sight of Boomington giving them the stink eye.

"ANYWAYS," Trigger Happy chuckled, "Did you see that new comedian's act last night?"

"Comedian? More like Come-dull-ian!" Boomer scoffed, "All his jokes made me wanna fall asleep!"

"I know, right?" Trigger Happy whipped out a pistol and rolled it around like a toy, "The one with the sheep and the bed was so…"

"BAA-ring?" Boomer grinned from ear to ear.

"Yeah!" Trigger Happy made another awful grin, "It made me wanna fall a-sheep!"

Boomington made the loudest groan known to trollkind, then looked away and buried his face in his hands from sheer embarrassment.

"Phew, got him off our tail—old Boomington never did like bad puns," Boomer whispered, then made a soft chuckle as he retrieved the map once more, "Anyways, now we go north until we reach here, then we take a right…"

Boomington sighed and turned around, then raised an eyebrow as he caught sight of Boomer and Trigger Happy deep in conversation.

"What are you two discussing?" Boomington demanded from afar.

Boomer and Trigger Happy both froze in place. Crap! Had he caught on at last?

"OH, NOTHING!" Boomer shouted back as he made a sickeningly wide smile, "Just talking about the superior methods of cooking sheepstew pie, that's all!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Trigger Happy insisted as he bounced up and down, "If you ask me, I think broiling it in a hot pot of soup is the way to go!"

"No, no, you've got it all wrong!" Boomer shook his head as sweat dripped from his brow, "You have to bake in an oven at four hundred degrees…"

Boomer and Trigger Happy looked back at Boomington, those wide grins still plastered on their faces, but he seemed less amused. He only raised an eyebrow and toyed with his flare gun!

"Say, Boomer…" Boomington asked as he cocked his flare gun yet again, "What's that thing in your beard?"

Boomer completely froze, then made a soft chuckle as he toyed with his beard.

"Oh, whoops, seems like I got some crumbs from lunch in my beard!" Boomer chuckled some more as he stroked his beard, "Oh well, it can't be helped, I…"—Boomer's eyes shrank as he saw the map fall out of his beard—"… Guess?"

"Knew it."

Boomington scoffed, then shot the flare gun straight at the map!

As its flare headed straight towards him, Boomer jumped back and shouted on instinct, but in his haste to get away he didn't even think to grab the map! And by then, it was too late. All he could do was watch as his map went up in flames.

"Hah, knew you had some kind of trick to it!" Boomington shouted with a firm scowl, "Is this what you did at the new year's party, too?"

"You're still not over that?" Boomer rolled his eyes, then looked back to the path with a bit more concern.

"What're we gonna do now, Boomy?" Trigger Happy asked as his wide eyes peered towards Boomer with a slight light of fear.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, Trigger Happy!" Boomer grinned and leaned towards Trigger Happy's ear, "See, there's a secret to these things!"

Trigger Happy and Boomer whispered carefully-kept secrets to each other, then nodded and walked ahead. Even though the map was lost, they still did perfectly!

"You see, they always make a simple, linear path out of these minefield mazes!" Boomer whispered back to Trigger Happy as they took a right turn, "You just gotta figure out what it is!"

"Really?" Trigger Happy asked with sparkling eyes.

"You bet your boots!"

And so, the two of them smiled and carefully walked along the path, absolutely no tension between them… But their happiness didn't reach Boomington, who scowled and tossed Snuckles against the wall of the storage shed behind him.

"They're doing better than I thought! Maybe I was wrong to underestimate my old coworker…" Boomington muttered as he dug into his pockets, "Guess I should crank things up a notch!"

Snuckles winced as he shook his head and looked up. With a groan, he inched himself back up to full height, then leaned over and looked past Boomington's shoulder.

"With one press of this button," Boomington whispered as he waved a remote with a big red button around, "All these mines'll blow at once! There's no way they'll survive that!"

Snuckles made a slow, shocked gasp as his eyes shone with fear.

"No, he can't!" Snuckles whimpered as he turned around and lowered his voice, "I've gotta stop him, but, but how? What do I do? What do I do?"

Snuckles shook his head and waddled back around to where Boomington was just inches away from pressing that button… Then yelled out as he swung forward and headbutted Boomington in the back! Boomington screamed out as he fell on his face, while the remote flew through the skies and landed just inches away from where Snuckles was!

"My remote!" Boomington cried as he pulled his head from the floor with a POP!

"I'll get it, I'll get it!" Snuckles cried as he stampeded over Boomington and charged towards the remote… Only to trip over his own lances and fall flat on his face!

And in the process, the shock from his fall tossed the remote right into the minefield! Snuckles winced as he looked up… Then breathed a sigh of relief as everything stayed stagnant.

"Skylanders!" Snuckles called while Boomer and Trigger Happy looked towards him, "That remote sets off the mines! Quick, stop it!"

Snuckles looked aside and winced as he tugged against his bindings. "I'd do it myself, but I'm a little… Tied up right now."

Boomer and Trigger Happy winced, then looked towards each other and nodded. The two of them gingerly tiptoed through the path, then loomed over the part where the remote was. Unfortunately, none of them had any way of knowing whether it was underneath a mine or not… So, Boomer lifted a stick of dynamite, tied its fuse into a loop then nudged it towards the remote's antenna…

"Steady, steady…" Boomer whispered as he nudged his dynamite stick inches closer to the remote, "Keep her steady…"

But as they carefully tried to grab the antenna, they didn't see Boomington grab a bomb from his pockets and snarl!

"Oh enough of this!" Boomington shouted as he tossed the bomb onto the minefield, "If they won't light up those mines, I'll do it myself!"

The bomb soared through the skies and landed on the remote's button with surprising precision! All around, a symphony of beeps chimed in tune while everybody around gasped as the button's click echoed through the areas… Save for Boomington, who only smirked.

"This is the end, Skylanders! What're you gonna do now, huh?" Boomingtom shouted with utter smugness… But soon enough, his smug smirk turned to confusion as he saw Snuckles out the corner of his eyes.

Snuckles, he didn't seem scared at all! Rather, he leaned forwards, almost as if he was about ready to run right into the field and jump into the fray himself!

"What are you doing?!" Boomington exclaimed as he watched Snuckles storm forwards then leaped in front of Snuckles, "Only a fool would run out into a minefield like that!"

"Yeah?" Snuckles asked as he sprinted forward and headbutted Boomington, "Then I'm the biggest fool there is! And you know what? I DON'T CARE!"

Boomington clenched his teeth as he recovered from the headbutt then slung a punch at Snuckles, but Snuckles just jumped out of the way! Instead, Boomington slid forwards… Only to get kicked in the gut by Snuckles and tossed onto the minefield! Snuckles jumped off of Boomington's chest and looked towards Boomer and Trigger Happy as the last few beeps sounded off.

"I joined the Mabu Defense Force because I wanted to be a hero and help everyone, just like the Skylanders do! And no matter how scary or how dangerous it might be… I won't give up! Just like they didn't give up on me!"

Then, with a grunt he leaped forward and shot himself right between the mine and the Skylanders!

"DON'T WORRY, SKYLANDERS, I'LL PROTECT YOU!"

In that last moment of silence, the final beep sounded off…And explosions blew everywhere! The entire minefield was enveloped in fire and thick, churning black smoke, while the scent of shrapnel and death stank throughout the entire outpost!

"I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME, BOOMERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Boomington vowed as he blasted off into the distance.

Trigger Happy and Boomer both ducked for cover, then blinked as a green light fell over them. They both poked their heads up, and sure enough a shield of light guarded them from the explosions that had now ceased.

"Phew, that was close!" Boomer remarked as the smoke and shield cleared to reveal a warm field full of craters, "Talk about quick thinking, Snucks!"

But as the shield faded, so did Boomer's smile. "Snucks?… Snucky boy?"

No matter which direction Boomer looked, Snuckles was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't in the craters, not around the little remains of the field… All that could be found was a scrap of his uniform that had been torn by a rock. It couldn't be… Boomer sniffled as he grabbed the scrap of fabric and bit his lip, but finally, a few sniffles turned to choked sobs as he buried his face in his metallic hands.

"I said I'd protect him, but…" Boomer sobbed as Trigger Happy patted him on the shoulder, though it did little to console Boomer, "That kid was the one who protected us…"

Boomer choked out more sobs, then fell to his knees and screamed to the murky, solemn skies.

"SNUCKLES, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?"

As tears streamed down Boomer's face and ugly wails escaped his mouth, Trigger Happy just went back to quietly consoling Boomer… Even Trigger Happy, normally an unending source of joy and smiles, could only bring himself to quietly rub Boomer's back.

Snuckles, so wide-eyed and excited to save the world, to work alongside people that were surely his heroes, ended up giving his life for the cause! He was so young, too! He had his whole life ahead of him, and it got cut short in one flash. He definitely had family and friends back home too, and his teammates who awaited his return with baited breath...

What would Boomer and Trigger Happy tell them? Neither of them know, so they just consoled each other in silence… Until Trigger Happy caught sight of something that make him shake Boomer's shoulder!

"Boomer, Boomer!" Trigger Happy shouted as he shook Boomer out of mourning then pointed to a nearby crater, "Look, over there!"

Boomer wiped his runny nose, then followed Trigger Happy's pointing hand. There, across from them both, what seemed like a small, furry hand gripped onto the side of the crater…

"Snuckles?…" Boomer whispered.

One furry hand became two, then an entire head… And sure enough, Snuckles groaned and coughed as he struggled to pull himself out of the crater! The ropes that once bound him tight were singed, frayed, and rested around his shoulders like a cape, and his uniform was charred and torn in some places but still intact. It was like seeing a miracle in person!

So Boomer smiled as he knelt down and lifted Snuckles out of the crater.

"Snuckles, my boy, you're alive!" Boomer wailed as he hugged Snuckles tight, then immediately let go as Snuckles broke into a coughing fit.

"Of, of course!" Snuckles panted between coughs, a weak smile on his face, "Underneath this uniform is special, explosion-immune super agent armor!"

To exemplify his point, Snuckles rapped a hand against his chest and beamed as a metallic sound resounded out… Then he coughed again and sighed.

"It doesn't protect from landings though, unfortunately."

"Aw, thank goodness!" Boomer sniffled and wiped tears of relief from his face, "After all, we can't lose a super-special hero like you! You're a diamond in the rough!"

However, Boomer's praise didn't seem to make Snuckles feel any better. Instead of smiling and basking in the praise, Snuckles just frowned and looked aside while he tugged on his collar.

"Thanks I guess, but… I don't think I'm cut out for this hero business after all." Snuckles bit his lip and sniffled. "After all, I messed everything up and got kidnapped and caused you all so much trouble! You guys are the real heroes, I'm just some mabu from the middle of nowhereland…"

"NONSENSE!" Boomer beamed as he slapped a hand on Snuckles' shoulder then began patting it, "Heroes aren't born, kiddo, they're made!"

Boomer's wide, energetic smile became gentle and a little more wiser as he let go of Snuckles, "And with all the courage you showed off today, I'd say you're shaping up to be a great one!"

Though he was still quite weak, Snuckles beamed and wiped a few tears from his face.

"Thank you, Skylanders." Snuckles then hobbled away towards the warehouse, "Anyways, the mission's not over yet! We still need to get that—"

Snuckles winced and fell to his knees, then as he groaned Boomer prodded forwards and wrapped Snuckles' arm around his shoulders. Snuckles looked towards Boomer, then once again tears of joy streamed down his ashy, frazzled face.

Trigger Happy beamed, then hopped up to Snuckles and lifted Snuckles arm onto his head.

"Three cheers for Snuckles, the greatest hero in all Skylands!" Trigger Happy proclaimed, then lowered his voice as he imitated the sounds of a cheering crowd, "Snuckles! Snuckles! Snuckles!"

"Snuckles! Snuckles! Snuckles!" Boomer joined in as he and Trigger Happy carried Snuckles back to the warehouse display.

As soon as their feet hit the warm, slightly singed metal of the warehouse, Boomer and Trigger Happy released Snuckles and urged him towards the Golden Gear.

"Here's the gear, Snuckles!" Trigger Happy giggled as he twitched his ears, "Hey, that rhymed!"

"You know what to do, Snucky boy!" Boomer urged as he nudged Snuckles' shoulder.

Snuckles made a weak smile and nod, then hobbled over to the Gear's control panel and inputted something into its keyboard.

With a friendly chirp, the control panel glowed green, then a panel opened up below the gear and shot a rocket right through the gear's open hole! That same rocket's door slid open, and with a hiss a flight of stairs emerged from its surface.

"Come on everyone!" Snuckles urged as he hopped up the stairs, "It's time for us to finish this mission!"

Boomer and Trigger Happy smiled and nodded towards each other, then raced up the stairs and watched as the rocket closed up behind them. With a lurch and a rumble to tell them that the rocket had blasted off, the three of them laid back in their seats and watched as the troll outpost grew smaller and smaller from their window view…

§

Chihiro winced as she looked up at the monsters, then looked back down at herself. How did she get herself into this mess? These monsters were way too powerful for her to tackle alone, were practically immune to her magic… And worse yet, they had her completely cornered!

Was this the end?

Chihiro could only wince again as she looked down at her trembling hands, then the sound of growling alerted her to the fact that the monsters were ready to strike! As they lunged towards the bushes she rested on, Chihiro yelped and ducked! Thankfully, she moved quick enough that the monsters only slammed into each other rather than her.

Once they whined and reeled back, the monsters glared at each other, then started squawking gibberish! The look on their faces showed they were pretty darn mad… Though Chihiro couldn't understand a word they said, it was pretty clear to her nonetheless that they were too busy arguing!

_Now's my chance! _Chihiro thought as she watched them argue, _I have to get out of here!_

Chihiro grimaced as she crawled out of view, then dove into the bushes and peered back out at the battlefield where the other two monsters continued to squabble. She was perfectly safe now… And better yet, she had the perfect opportunity to attack! But, what could she do? She didn't have a single spell that could effectively knock them out! They just no-sold every single thing she had thrown…

_Wait a second! That's it! _Chihiro snapped her fingers as her eyes glimmered, _A no-sell spell! I could try one of those! If it works, then maybe it could knock the magic right out of those guys!_

Though it sounded like a good idea, Chihiro didn't exactly feel easy about it. No-sell spells were pretty advanced magic according to the books she had read, and she had never really tried one before. Could she really pull it off?

As the monsters bickered, the Guardifound walked up to them and slapped them both! While they reeled back and rubbed their aching faces, the Guardifound yelled out some gibberish and gestured towards the empty space where Chihiro once rested!

Chihiro squeaked and ducked down. Guess she didn't have a choice now—she had to do something before they found her!

_Now, how do I perform a no-sell spell? _Chihiro pondered as she rolled her hands around, _Maybe…_—Chihiro pushed through the leaves and focused her attention on the monsters—_Something like this?_

Chihiro watched her hands flare with cyan light, then held them towards the hole.

_Monsters, lose your magic!_

A bolt of cyan lightning shot from Chihiro's hands, slammed against the monsters and exploded with a bright flash! For a moment, it seemed like it had worked… But when the light faded, the monsters still stood tall! The only differences were that they now had cyan sparks crackling off of their bodies and they looked kinda dizzy, too.

_Crap! I should've known that wouldn't work! _Chihiro inhaled sharply and gritted her teeth as she watched the monsters regain their balance and yell.

With no other options, Chihiro closed her eyes then teleported further in the forest and hopefully far away from those strange monsters. She planted a hand on a tree's sturdy trunk, then slouched down as she caught her breath. This whole day felt like an awful, awful nightmare… Hopefully, maybe it was just a nightmare. Chihiro pinched herself to be sure, but all she felt was a quick surge of pain. Nope, definitely real unfortunately for her.

"Wait a second," Chihiro realized as she stood up and watched the skies, which had started to gray with worrisome clouds, "Didn't that thing send out other lightning bolts? And didn't Master Eon have artifacts scattered all across the island?"

Chihiro paused to pull out her map, then dropped the map to the ground and bolted off without any kind of hesitation!

Unfortunately sure enough, she was right... The map had dots practically all over the island!

_Everyone could be in big trouble! _Chihiro panicked as she raced through the forest as fast as her legs could carry her, her exhaustion from earlier replaced with a dizzying fear, _I gotta find them before—_

As the trees parted and Chihiro found herself in the more civilized parts of the island, a bolt of magic hurled straight towards her! Chihiro squeaked and ducked down, then as the bolt passed her by she heard… Screaming? Yes, screaming, not that far from where she stood now!

Chihiro poked her head back up, then gasped at what she saw.

It was exactly as she feared! Those monsters ran rampant all over the island's heart, and they were terrorizing everyone and everything they saw! They started fights, overturned the local flora and caused chaos to their hearts' content! The Skylanders and other residents of the island tried their best to fight the monsters off, but they were outnumbered and outpowered—a more than deadly combination!

"Hugo, Cali!" Chihiro exclaimed as she watched the two of them try to fight off a bright red monster with stones for teeth!

While the monster loomed over Hugo and Cali as it got ready to strike, Chihiro wasted no time either! Her eyes trailed over to a particularly large tree branch, then with a touch of her hand she sent it flying and watched as the branch slammed straight into the monster! As the monster flew into the distance, Chihiro raced out of the forest with heavy breaths. That was a close one! For a minute, she wasn't even entirely sure it would work!

"You guys alright?" Chihiro asked as she ran up to Hugo and Cali and caught her breath.

"Thankfully, yes," Hugo panted as he held a furry hand over his heart, "Just what were these things? They just showed up out of nowhere and—"

"It's a long story!" Chihiro pulled herself back to her full height and whipped her head around,

"You know?" Hugo turned to Chihiro with eyes wide and full of realization paired with scorn, "Wait, Chihiro, don't tell me—"

"We can worry about that later!" Cali exclaimed as she pulled back Hugo, "But for now, we've gotta stop them!"

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Hugo shouted as he bit his nails as he looked over the island, "There has to be at least seventy of them!"

Chihiro winced, but not from Hugo's estimation. Rather, she heard stomping and heavy growling right behind her, so close that it made her hair stand on end! That couldn't be… She almost didn't want to turn around, but nevertheless she did. And when she did, she found that the monster she had knocked away earlier was back and bigger than ever!

Chihiro screamed as the monster slammed a fist into the ground, then grabbed Hugo and Cali's hands! There was no way she'd be able to fight it in its current state, so she had to take the next best option—run!

"Hugo!" Chihiro called as she turned her gaze towards a very panicked Hugo, "What's the strongest building on this island?"

"Why are you asking me that now?" Hugo's teeth chattered with fear, then he screamed as they ducked underneath a flaming rock!

"Because!" Chihiro pointed towards the havoc-wreaking monsters, "That's why!"

"THE MESS HALL!" Hugo blurted out at last as he clung tighter to Chihiro's arm, "It had the strongest reinforcement of all the buildings in this area!"—Hugo made an uneasy chuckle—"Mealtimes get very hectic, you see…"

Chihiro nodded, then channeled all the magic in her body and teleported away! When she opened her eyes she found herself in front of the mess hall's ever-welcoming doors, but she didn't feel any kind of ease as she flung the doors open!

"Hugo, Cali, get in there now!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pushed Hugo and Cali in the mess hall.

"But what about you?" Cali exclaimed as Chihiro went to push the doors, "What're you doing? And how're we gonna stop all these monsters?"

"I'm going to find everyone and bring them to safety!" Chihiro pushed the doors further down, then bit her lip and winced as she lowered her voice.

"… And, I don't know just yet."

As the doors slammed shut, Chihiro turned back to the mess she made and clenched her hands into trembling fists. The whole place looked like something out of a nightmare, or some supervillain's dream with all these monsters running around, terrorizing people and tearing things down! It was so awful she couldn't bear to watch, yet she couldn't turn away either.

"What have I done?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter twenty of CHS is here! This was another chapter that gave me a run for my money, but thankfully I was able to get it out just in time! (Also, there's gonna be another important announcement regarding CHS at the end of the chapter!)**

**Greenswitch: I'm glad you liked Boomington—writing him and his little rivalry with Boomer was one of my favorite parts of that chapter, right next to Snuckles and Boomer's whole dynamic! (Also Bloomington made me chuckle—Boomington if he was a Life Elemental instead of a Tech Elemental...) And as for the callback, that was something I just couldn't resist~**

**Watch Seeker: While I can't really say much on what will happen here, hopefully things will work out~**

* * *

/**LOG** **DATE ****42.26.20011, TIME 17.36.55**/

With a whoosh and a flash of quickly-faded light, Drobot and Drill Sergeant had found themselves whisked away from the homey walls of the portal building and into the fray of what seemed to be a warzone!

The ground underneath their feet was solid dirt and mud, and the skies above them churned with thick, suffocating gray smoke. From above the trenches one could see campsites littered about like garbage where soldiers discussed something in an unheard language… But the one thing that stuck out was what loomed above them. Hidden behind a barbed wire and barricaded fence was a pristine white building identical in shape to the one General Robot had shown on his projection—same skyscraping towers, same faint glow, same gigantic pipes that pumped glowing green substance to and fro within the building itself…

The gears in Drobot's brain whirred, but not necessarily from the sights itself. Normally portals would transport them in an instant, but now it was nearly sunset back at the home island! He would have to ask Chihiro about that later… But then again, maybe that was not something he should concern himself with. Magic was not his area of expertise, after all. Magical affairs weren't nearly as logical as technical ones, and for all he knew the portals just felt like taking it slower than usual.

"Drobot," Drill Sergeant whirred as he wheeled through the mud, "Do you think this is our destination?"

Drobot lifted his head and turned to Drill Sergeant, then made a tiny nod.

"Affirmative, Drill Sergeant," Drobot replied as he hovered over the mud.

"But, where are the Mabu Defense Force?" Drill Sergeant swirled back and forth, "I see no sight of mabu anywhere here. Just camps and trolls…"  
"Then, according to my calculations, we should go find them."

Drobot said not a word more, and merely continued to hover forwards instead. No use making small talk when you had more pressing matters at hand, he would say.

"Yes, sir!" Drill Sergeant replied as he saluted Drobot with his drill hands, then charged his way through the mud.

One might think that this might not be such a good idea, but thankfully Drill Sergeant's machinery was durable enough to plow through the mud as if it was no more than thin grass or powder snow. Arkeyan technology was built to be resilient first and foremost, and Drill Sergeant was an epitome of this. Drobot had asked to study his machinery in the past, but Drill Sergeant had always gotten particularly queasy at the idea.

With the muddied trenches passed by, the two of them wheeled and hovered their way down rocky, dirty hills carved into trenches and pathways. Despite Drobot's scans, he couldn't find a single sign of mabu life… Had they been too late?

"Wait, is that a Skylander?" asked a voice from ahead.

Drobot's scanners perked up, then made a few simple beeps to inform him of a new lifeform's presence—a mabu, dressed in ragtag military clothing! It was a good thing he had tuned his scanners before he left. Drobot followed the scanner's built-in radar, and in turn it directed him to a small, makeshift campsite constructed from boxes and worn cloth tents.

"You must be the Skylanders!" The mabu man exclaimed as he made a curt nod, "My name's Nort, tactical sturgeon of the Mabu Defense Force! It's truly an honor to work by your side."

"You mean strategian. A sturgeon is a kind of fish," Drobot said as he hovered down and placed himself in front of Nort, "What seems to be the situation here, Nort?"

"Oh, right! Getting down to business right off the bat, that's how Skylanders do it." Nort made a few awkward chuckles as he adjusted his helmet, "Well, it all started when we came here to retrieve the Glowing Green Goo of Primordia from the trolls! It was going well, really well!"

"Then what had occurred?" The gears in Drobot's helmet whirred with the ones in his mind.

"That's the thing, I don't know!" Nort made an exasperated gesture of some kind with his hands, "One by one, the rest of my team went AWOL!"

Nort proceeded to grab a crude walkie-talkie from the earth and toy with it, as if to exemplify his point. However, no words or conversation from his attempts at making contact, and all that could be heard was just ear-grating static.

"I think I'm all that's left…" Nort shuddered so hard he could rival a quaking leaf while the walkie-talkie slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground with a clunk, "They could all be captured, to experimented on, or made into mabu soup, or…"

"Fear not, Nort," Drobot replied as he tapped a few buttons on his helmet and began scanning, "With my superior life detection technology, we should be able to find them immediately."

Drobot paused for a moment as the helmet ran its scans… Then frowned as it gave him a long, slow beep. Nothing. Drobot hummed and frowned as he stroked his mechanical chin. It worked just fine before, so what could possibly be the issue?

"Is something wrong, Skylander?" Nort asked with a frown.

"… It seems as though I have encountered a few complications." Drobot's words were somewhat softened so as to not worry the already clearly anxious Nort, "Do you happen to have any records of their last whereabouts?"

"Well, normally I'd point you to this." Nort picked up some kind of radar device, "But look! Nothing!"

Drobot examine the device and found that Nort's words were true. There was not a single dot or blip on the radar machine's screen!

"They've completely fallen off the radar!"

Nort's heart rate accelerated greatly according to the readings Drobot had received from his scanner, but it slowed a bit as he examined Drill Sergeant.

"He wouldn't happen to have a radar, would he?" Nort asked as he tapped Drill Sergeant's laser blaster.

"That is not a radar, sir," Drill Sergeant beeped as he withdrew his blaster, "That is a highly lethal Arkeyan laser blaster!"

Nort squealed as he jumped away from Drill Sergeant, his heart rate accelerated once more.

"Very well then. It seems we will have to do things as they did in old times," Drobot proclaimed as he watched Nort make rapid breaths and hold a paw over his heart, "Follow me. We shall search for your missing teammates immediately."

Drobot hovered above the ground once more, then paused for a moment and watched Drill Sergeant roll behind him. Nort took one last, wary glance at Drill Sergeant, then trailed after him and Drobot in turn as they marched through the rough, muddy trenches…

§

However, unknown to those Skylanders and that squeamish-looking mabu, they were being spectated! From within the confines of a dark, laser-filled laboratory lit only by said lasers and the blue light of a wide screen, a troll draped in stained labcoats and other science-y gear cackled.

"My, what fine-looking specimens!" The troll scientist cackled as he fiddled with a few buttons and pulled a lever or two, "I have to bring there here for testing immediately!"

"Nort, look out!" Called one of those annoying specimens inside the cage behind him—oh, did they ever shut up?

"SILENCE!" The scientist threw his trusty wrench at the cage's bags and watched the specimens inside back into a corner.

"Specimens aren't supposed to talk." The troll scientist straightened his labcoat and excused himself out of the room, "They sit quietly and wait for their turn to be tested!"

As the door behind him closed, the scientist clasped his hands and made the widest grin.

"And these specimens will make for some absolutely amazing tests!"

§

Soft chatter arose from the mess hall, but not the kind of amicable banter that came with mealtime, no. It was far more concerned as everybody huddled around each other, hands clammy and brows clenched tights as they discussed the events that raged about outside.

"Where did those monsters come from?"

"I tried to punch them, but it didn't do a thing! What are those things made of?"

"I don't know! Chihiro just ran up to me and said that we were taking shelter here until she figured something out!"

"Do you think everyone's alright?…"

"I hope so…"

And of course, it did little to ease Hugo or Master Eon as they stood steadfast at the doors and tried their best to take a headcount. The island's other residents and the Skylanders who hadn't raced off to do missions had all been gathered alongside them in the mess hall, which now seemed a lot more cramped despite its spacious inside. With all the tension that coursed through this one area, even the most wide-open space would feel like a cramped box!

Hugo ground his teeth together while he flipped through the pages of a book on magic monsters. He had been hard at work trying to decipher the origins behind this mess since Chihiro brought him and Cali to the Mess Hall… But no matter how much he poured through them or what books he did, nothing could be found!

Speaking of Chihiro, Master Eon could only pray that she was alright. He had been quite taken aback when she had yanked him out of the open and teleported him away to the mess hall. It had been so sudden, in fact, all he saw were the monsters in the distance, all her heard was their growls intermingled with her strained voice and all he felt… Was the touch of her hand and the surge of magic. A part of him wished he could figure things out himself, in all honesty. But, with those things running around and them supposedly being extremely strong and immune to most magic, he'd be far from the ideal person to deal with them.

So, all he could do was sit and wait in anticipation. The sounds of everyone's worried talk made him want to step up and say something to ease their nerves, but unfortunately he was just as worried as they were. How could he ease others' fears when he himself couldn't ease his own?

So instead, he begrudgingly hovered above Hugo in utter silence within the one quiet corner of the mess hall…

POUND! POUND, POUND! POUND, POUND, POUND!

"Who could that be?" Master Eon asked as he hovered away from Hugo and towards the barricaded doors of the mess hall.

"THEY FOUND US!" Hugo exclaimed as he tossed his books to the skies and ran around in frantic circles, "IT'S ALL OVER, THEY'RE—"

"Hello?" Cried a familiar young voice from outside the hall, "It's Chihiro! Let me in!"

"Young Chihiro!" Master Eon gasped as he levitated the barricades out the way and flung open the doors!

Sure enough, outside the mess hall's bounds was none other than Chihiro! Her breath was heavy as she slouched over, but she was still energetic enough to dash inside and collapse on the floor.

"I… I looked as far as I could…" Chihiro panted as she pressed herself upright with her arms, though the paleness of her face made her look deathly ill, "I… Think that's everyone…"

Everybody around breathed a sigh of relief. At least one of their fears could be put aside for the moment.

"Now, now, young Chihiro, steady yourself." Master Eon flitted towards Chihiro and magicked a towel for her to wipe her cold sweat with, "You look like you're ready to meet the grave!"

Chihiro whimpered as she took the towel from Master Eon and wiped off her face. Her lips quivered with something that seemed not quite like fear, but… Sorrow, regret even? And it seemed as if tears dropped from her cheeks, though they were so small they could barely be noticed.

"I might as well be!" Chihiro sniffled as she rubbed her nose, "It's my fault this happened in the first place!"

"Your fault?"

Master Eon hovered under Chihiro's chin, barely any mind paid to the tears that dripped off her face and onto his ghostly body. "What are you talking about?"

"That's what I said!" Chihiro sobbed as she buried her face in her hands, "IranoffandgotlostandIguesstheartifactsgotallbumpedupandstuffandthen mymapflewoffand, and, and, when I, when I…"

Chihiro wiped away her tears with her arm, then curled up and sobbed once more. As Chihiro curled up and sobbed, Master Eon popped out of her lap and gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"Young Chihiro, I do not entirely understand what you just said…" Master Eon said as he nuzzled her chin up, "But regardless of whatever mistake you may have made, it's never too late to remedy it!"

"It…" Chihiro sniffed and lifted up a face full of tears, "It isn't?"

Master Eon bobbed up and down. "So, young Chihiro, what exactly happened?"

Though Chihiro was still very troubled, she shuddered and forced out a weak smile… But with how her lips trembled, it hardly looked like one.

"Well, when I was doing that hunt… The breeze blew away my map!" Chihiro sniffled a bit, then breathed and wiped away the last of her tears, "I went to get the map, then the artifacts thingies, they fell out of my bag so I tried to make something out of magic for them to land on…"

Chihiro started to shudder once more.

"And then one of them absorbed the magic and got all messed up and now all this happened!" Chihiro lowered her head, her eyes masked by her frazzled bangs, "I'm so sorry, Master Eon. I wanna fix this, but I don't know how! I tried to stop them, but they're way too strong for me!"

"Absorbed the magic, you say?…" Master Eon echoed as he fluttered away from Chihiro.

"Er, yeah." Chihiro's voice wavered a little, though she tried to steady it some, "That battery-looking one, it absorbed the magic from the platform, then it exploded and zapped the Guardifound and it turned into a weird monster, then it turned the rest of 'em into monsters too!"

As he heard Chihiro's testimony, a flash of realization came into Master Eon's mind! It had to have been…

"Chihiro, can you recreate the shape of the artifact in question?" Master Eon asked as he flew back to her side.

"I can try."

Chihiro nodded, then held out her hands and created a cyan-colored, magical projection from her palms. It took on the appearance of what was vaguely an old-looking battery, though covered in cracks and magical markings, with twin lightning bolts poked out from its sides.

"Oh, dear. It's just as I thought!" Master Eon examined the projection as his own light dimmed from concern, "That has to be the conductor!"

"Conductor?" Chihiro asked as she whisked away the projection.

"Conductors are powerful magic devices that can charge other devices around them with magic energy." Master Eon shook a tiny bit, "If it had gotten corrupted, then spread that corrupted magic to the Guardifound who spread that corrupt magic to the rest…"

"Wait, there's more than one?" Chihiro tilted her head.

"I had stocked several replicas of all the artifacts used in the exam, just in case they were somehow damaged prior to it." Master Eon winced as his glow faded, "And conductor magic gets stronger with everything it powers—combined with a Guardifound's natural abilities, this makes an incredibly deadly combination. If we don't do something soon, we might never be able to stop them!"

"So then, we've gotta stop those Guardifounds from making more monsters!"

Chihiro jumped to her feet and stood tall, the sad aura that once radiated around her now replaced by an air of determination.

"If those things are their power source, and making more monsters makes them more powerful…" Chihiro nodded her head in firm thought and looked up at Master Eon, "Then we just need to get rid of the Guardifounds as quickly as possible and then all those monsters will be gone, right?"

"You catch on quickly, young Chihiro." Master Eon chuckled then swirled around her, "But first, we'll need something that can track them down."

"Like a radar, right?" Chihiro's hands glowed a soft, light cyan, "Got it!"

With a snap of her fingers, a magical, if not somewhat old-fashioned in appearance, radar detector manifested in her hands!… Only to poof out of existence seconds later.

"Dangit." Chihiro sighed as she watched her hands' glow fade, "Guess that's still too complicated for me,"—Chihiro looked up at Master Eon—"Now where in this place could we find a radar?"

"Did someone say radar?" Asked a mechanical voice from the back of the room.

Mechanical whirring, rolling and other robotic noises echoed through the mess hall as that strange robotic army general—General Robot, Eon believed he identified himself as—rolled up to Master Eon, Hugo and Chihiro's corner of the mess hall.

"If you're looking for a radar detector, sir…" General Robot popped open his chest plate, "Then I have one right here!"

Sure enough, out from a conveyor belt came a miniature, box-shaped radar detector! It was simple and a bit rudimentary… But for the current situation at hand, it would probably do just fine!

"Now, young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated over the radar, "Follow my lead."

Chihiro nodded, then placed her had on top of the radar detector. Her hand and Master Eon's body glowed in unison for a few minutes, then that glow transferred to the radar before it faded entirely! All was silent for a few minutes, then everybody broke into a chorus of amazed whispers as the radar began to beep!

"It's already got a few readings!" Chihiro exclaimed as she withdrew the radar and showed it to Master Eon, "See?"

Sure enough, Chihiro was right! Several purple dots had already appeared on the radar's surface!

"Now that we got that taken care of…" Chihiro stomped her foot on one of the benches and raised the radar to the roof, "LET'S KICK SOME MONSTER BUTT!"

"Er, young Chihiro?"

"Yes, Master Eon?" Chihiro asked as she turned back to Master Eon.

"… We should probably plan out how we will stop them, first."

"Oh, right." Chihiro chuckled and jumped off the bench, "Forgot about that."

And so, they all gathered together and whispered out inklings and ideas under the cover of the mess hall's sturdy roof…

/**LOG** **DATE 42.26.20011, TIME 17.46.55**/

The sounds of war and banter rang through Drobot's ears as he, Drill Sergeant and Nort trekked through the muddy trenches that made up the factory's front yard. While normally it would've made anyone's skin crawl, in particular it kept all three of them on edge as they search.

"Okay, so, if I recall correctly," Nort explained as he walked next to Drobot, "This path should take us to where Captain Rizzo was last heard from…"

"Understood," Drobot replied while he toyed with something on his helmet, "Could you inform me as to which members are missing at the current time?"

"Just the captain and Blobbers." Nort rubbed his hands and awkwardly smiled, "We're… A little short staffed at the moment."

"Last actions before vanishing?" Drobot tapped a few buttons on the side of his helmet.

"The captain disappeared first while he was going to re-route the goo pipes, and Blobbers went to look for him!" Nort winced and looked around, "I really hope they're alright… Only the Ancients know what could have happened to them!"—Nort began to whimper as he looked aside—"Maybe they got incinerated in a fire, or made into friend mabu, or fell down a hole, or—"

"Actually, the probability of the first two insofar is extremely low." Drobot tapped the side of his helmet and projected out a holographic chart, "According to my calculations. Now—"

Drobot lifted his head up, then whisked away the holographic chart with a blink. A beep from his helmet alerted him to the fact that there was something amiss here!

"Incoming projectile from…"

Drobot turned his head around and shot a laser at an oncoming grenade still high in the skies! As it exploded in a bright flare, he lowered his head slightly and narrowed his eyes.

"There."

With another blink, Drobot shot a round of lasers at the horizon which caused another explosion in the distance! The red and orange light of the explosion glazed over the mechanical eyes of Drobot's helmet in a way akin to sunsets, which was pretty, he supposed… But not the most impressive thing he had seen.

And yet, a quick glance to the right showed that Nort was seemingly enthralled by the sights! His eyes were fixed on the explosion's radiant warmth and his mouth drew into a smile, while scans showed that his heart rate had accelerated to a slightly faster speed. Drobot was not sure why, but…

"That was amazing!" Nort exclaimed as he turned back to Drobot at last, "You saw that grenade coming way before I did and blew it up like it was nothing!"

"But it was nothing," Drobot corrected, "My suit is specially attuned to detect any sudden changes in the environment around me. Quite helpful for intense missions such as these"

"REALLY?" Nort's heart rate grew even faster as he scurried up to Drobt and looked all over his suit, "What else can it do?"

Drobot gently folded the wing Nort was examining closer to the suit's body. "It has offensive and defensive qualities with its laser blasts, bladegears and shields, it can automatically generate charts, maps and other things necessary for statistical analysis, and it can even precisely calculate the time necessary for the perfect piece of toast."

Drobot clicked a dial on his helmet and showed off brief holographic previews of each function he listed, then stretched his robot wings as Nort stepped away.

"These are only a small selection of the things it can do, however. If anything, what I listed off were among the more simple features of my suit. Without it and all its features, I do not know what I would do."

Nort just gazed over Drobot with what seemed to be a level of shock. "It can do even more? How is that possible?"

"Er, well, all I did was code the programs and program them into the suit's internal computer. It's not very complicated, you just have to type a few lines…" Drobot tilted his head slightly and frowned. He wasn't planning an explanation, for he only stated an objective truth—after all, the features did range from fairly simple operations to much more complex maneuvers that only the most carefully-crafted of machines could pull off.

"I would happily explain, but we have more pressing matters at hand right—"

Drobot had wanted to say more, but before he could his helmet resounded with a couple more beeps—new anomalies! Heat signatures had apparently been located just a few paces behind him, but what were they of?

"SKYLANDERS! WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?" Cried a gruff voice from that same direction.

Drobot turned around and… He should have guessed that they had spotted by the local forces. Several trolls had popped out of their campsite's safety, their armor shiny and their weapons even shinier. His database analysis showed that the guns they carried seemed to be of the newest, more efficient model. He should stay on guard.

Nort immediately screamed at incredibly shrill volumes and hid behind Drobot, but Drobot quelled his own shock. Instead, he flared out his wings and tapped a few controls on the side of his helmet, just as a means of prepping his weaponry… To be safe.

"Why should I indulge you with an answer?" Drobot asked, his voice filter altered to be slightly more booming and intimidating in some kind of hope that this would scare the trolls away without a fight.

"It's our factory, isn't it?" The head of the trolls shot back as he gripped his laser gun, a slick and minimalist Pocket Flare 101611 with a cannon-like shape, slightly tighter than before, "You're technically trespassers!"

"YEAH!" Cried a second troll dressed in simple, less decorated military clothing as they waved their Pocket Flare in the air—probably a newer officer judging by their excitability, "So enough talking, let's get shooting!"

"My thoughts exactly!" The first troll hissed as he lowered his gun and charged it up!

From the Pocket Flare came an incredibly large laser flare, one that rocketed towards Drobot at what seemed like thirty steps a second. But, when it drew into Drobot's general vicinity, he merely lifted his wings and cast out a holographic shield that completely neutralized the blast!

"WHAT?!" The head troll shouted as he tossed his Pocket Flare to the ground, "That stupid scientist said these things were immune to shields!"

"Then I suppose they were wrong, sir!" Drill Sergeant beeped as he flew out from where Drobot sat and charged towards the trolls, "ROLLING ON THROUGH, SIR!"

The trolls all looked up, then screamed and ran as Drill Sergeant charged towards them with his drill hands fully activated and ready to shoot—but unfortunately, their speeds of approximately thirty miles an hour on foot were no match for the speeds Drill Sergeant could generate on his wheels! Before they could even escape, Drill Sergeant slammed into them and tossed them into the air.

While the trolls screamed and flew, Drill Sergeant whipped around and rattled. "Drobot, sir!"

"Understood!" Drobot shouted back, then with a few clicks of his buttons his wings folded out further and unleashed large cannons, "Initiate bladegear protocol!"

Out from those cannons shot several large gears with chainsaw-like teeth, so sharp and quick to tear and pull through anything that got in their way! Several of them immediately went to work and knocked the trolls into the horizons, but the others were just a little too slow to the punch—Drobot made a mental note to examine those when he returned from the mission.

As the trolls who were not grazed down by the bladegears dropped to the floor, they wiped sweat off their brows and breathed sighs of relief… But not for long! The bladegears dropped back down in response and immediately chased the troll down and out of sight! A third bladegear soared towards the head troll, but he only snarled and shot it away.

"You like shooting things, do you?" The head troll asked as he cocked his Pocket Flare, "Well, two can play at that game!"

The head troll spun around his Pocket Flare, then held it tight and stuck his finger to the trigger! As he held it close, several incredibly large and hot flares rocketed straight towards them, but Drobot was hardly intimidated as he flared his wings and tapped the side of his helmet.

"Initiate shield protocol!" Drobot proclaimed as a large, sturdy holographic shield jumped out from the ports in his wings and immediately neutralized the rocketing flares!  
Unfortunately, however, those weren't the only flares that troll had sent out!

He still fired at incredibly rapid speeds, so rapid that Drobot could not allot a moment to fight back—he had to stand still and keep these shields up, lest he risk getting hit by the flares. And on top of that, an instantaneous report from his helmet told him the trolls he had chased away with his bladegears earlier had made a return at last!

"Thought you could get rid of us easy, didn't you?" Asked the seemingly lower-ranking troll as they cocked their Pocket Flare, "Too bad!"

One by one the others all started shooting off their Pocket Flares as well, which greatly increased the volume of flares Drobot had to fight! He winced as several of them narrowly whizzed past his head, then he ducked and went back to inputting data on his helmet's control panel.

"Won't somebody stop that thing?!" Nort cried as he rolled out the way of one flare and watched it explode about ten miles behind him.

"I am afraid I cannot!" Drobot shouted back as he clenched his tense jaw and expanded the shields' range till they were a fence that completely blocked off him and Nort, "I already have my protocol slots taken by these flares!"

"It is a good thing that I do not, then, sir!" Drill Sergeant whirred from halfway across the battlefield.

The sound of revving machinery caught everyone's attention, then dust clouds kicked up over the horizon as Drill Sergeant charged directly into the trolls and tossed them—and their Pocket Flares—everywhere! While they crashed into the ground and grappled for their weapons, Drill Sergeant made a few short chirps… Then zapped the Pocket Flares into fried, broken metal with a humble laser blast.

The trolls gasped as they lifted their Pocket Flares and tried to fire them in some desperate, irrational attempt to get them working… Then finally their leader screamed at the top of his lungs as he stomped on his broken Pocket Flare!

"YOU STUPID HUNK OF METAL!" The lead troll exclaimed as he finished his temper tantrum and glared down Drill Sergeant, his breath so heavy with rage it made his entire body shudder, "THAT WAS THE VERY FIRST OF ITS KIND! THERE'S NO WAY I'LL GET ANOTHER ONE!"

The troll let out another raging yell, then jumped onto the ground and charged right at Drill Sergeant! Drill Sergeant, in response, charged back towards him and locked them both in a standstill. They pushed and pressed against each other, but despite their efforts they were both strong enough that neither could overwhelm the other… Until finally, the troll's footing slipped slightly! With the troll's grip loosened, Drill Sergeant found the perfect opportunity to power forward and charge right over the troll! The other trolls immediately ran to attack Drill Sergeant as well, but Drill Sergeant shot them back with his drill hands before they could even get within range.

And more importantly, with those trolls' weapons destroyed and their attention fixed on Drill Sergeant, there was plenty of time to attack!

"Seems it is time to have some fun," Drobot remarked as he let down his shield, "As the civilians would say."

Drobot twirled a couple of dials, pressed a button or two, then jumped into the air and zoomed over the battlefield! He careened his head down, and with a red flash from his eyes, bright hot lasers rained down on the battlefield!

The trolls screamed and hopped around as their feet were singed, with some blowing on their feet in some ill-fated attempt to cool them off.

A glint of harsh light shone on Drill Sergeant's face as his drill hands flew back and attached themselves back to their proper slots, then he charged forward and smashed directly into the trolls! While the trolls flew into the distance and their screams became little more than faint echoes, Drill Sergeant make a mechanical sound that vaguely sounded like a huff.

"What a nuisance, sir," Drill Sergeant remarked as he rolled up to Drobot.

"Indeed, Drill Sergeant," Drobot replied as he landed back on the ground and turned back to Nort, "You are not injured, are you?"

"No, no, I'm fine!" Nort replied while his legs continued to shake, oddly enough.

"But, the scans show that you are shaking at an abnormal rate." Drobot tapped the side of his helmet to show a holographic scan of Nort's body, complete with health diagrams to prove his point, "And your heart rate has gone up considerably…"

Nort just frantically jumped in front of the hologram and began waving his arms, all while sweat dripped down his head despite the odd lack of warmth on this battlefield they chose. "NOPE! I'M TOTALLY FINE, LET'S MOVE ON!"

Once the hologram had disappeared from view, Nort made as large a grin as his mouth could make and walked on, those his movements were oddly stiff and mechanical for a living being…

"That mabu is a strange one, but he does have a point." Drobot made a soft, robotic hum then shrugged, "We should be on our way."

So, Drobot padded after Nort, though he was guided more by the AI-generated map his suit had created based on his scans of the area. Good thing, too—these battlefield were nearly completely identical with their charred and blood-splattered ground, barbed wire fences and miniature campsites all made with the same tents and crates. There was a good chance any of them would've easily gotten lost without it!

In fact, it seemed as though Nort had already gotten lost! He stood frozen as he examined the path before him, and neural scans showcased brain activity that indicated confusion…

"According to my map," Drobot said as he hovered over to Nort and landed, "The path ahead is completely linear."

Nort just tilted his head and frowned.

"In layman's terms, it's a straight way ahead."

"Oh!" Nort nodded and beamed, but only for a moment as he gave Drobot another confused look, "Where'd you get a map?"

"I had an artificial intelligence program automatically generate one for me based on detailed scans of the area around. It has an accuracy of ninety nine point nine, nine, nine, nine…" Drobot shook his head and hovered forward, "Well, you understand—"

SCCCCCCCCRRRRRRHHH!

That was the sound of Drobot's suit's feedback as his suit alerted him to an unexpected update! Ugh, he thought he tuned the feedback noise to be less ear-grating… Drobot clenched his teeth, then looked ahead to find a solid barrier of a wall made entirely of stone!

"Guess that was the one percent that did go wrong, wasn't it?" Nort asked as he made an awkward chuckle.

Drobot frowned as he heard Nort's words, but quickly shook it off as his tone analyzer told him that Nort meant it in a playful way. So, instead he directed his attention towards the obstruction before him. Strange, what was a stone barrier doing here? His map had told him the path ahead was clear of any obstructions or debris! Just then, his helmet beeped a few times as his map was overwritten by a new one that pointed out the obstruction.

"You couldn't have done this earlier?" Drobot hissed to his suit at a low enough volume that nobody else could hear. He did not wish for anyone to misconstrue his words, after all.

"A barrier?" Drill Sergeant beeped as he finally caught up to where Nort and Drobot were, then spun his wheels even faster than before, "Just leave it to me, sirs!"

Drill Sergeant short off at an approximation of seventy miles per hour—approximately given that the distance between them and the barrier was too short for such distance to be realistic.

"I'LL CHARGE DOWN THAT BARRIER IN—"

Drill Sergeant's vocal processor sputtered out some kind of static nonsense as he bounced off of the stone barrier and landed on his back.

"Oh dear…" Drill Sergeant buzzed as his wheels spun haphazardly, "I apologize for the disruption, sirs, but can one of you please help me back up?"

Drobot walked over to Drill Sergeant, then Drobot gently pushed a button on the back of his armor. As the button popped back up, twin pairs of strong, mechanical arms unfolded from his suit and lifted Drill Sergeant back to his feet… Or rather, wheels, since Drill Sergeant didn't have feet.

"I'll run a scan to analyze the material of this barrier," Drobot proclaimed as he tapped away at his control panel, "Once the analysis completes, it should give us a host of viable ways to rid ourselves of this—"

"Or, we could just use this!" Nort suggested as he popped out of a nearby trash pile with a sleek, round bomb in hand.

Drobot stopped mid-input, then canceled the analysis and examined the bomb Nort held. "Let me analyze it first."

Despite where it came from, the bomb was in complete working order and had a ninety-five percent chance of properly lighting and exploding with no complications—but would it be strong enough to destroy the barrier was the next question?

"My scans show that it is viable for the purpose in question… In other words, we can try." Drobot nodded then looked over the bomb's fuse and prepared his lasers to burn, but stopped as Nort pulled out a crude lighter and lit the fuse himself.

The fuse crackled and popped with warm embers, though Nort seemed hardly concerned as he spun his arms and vaulted the bomb over the barrier!

"BOMBS AWAY!" Nort shouted as the bomb flew in the air!

Drobot promptly lifted up his shields, just to be safe, then clenched his teeth and powered the shields up further as a loud explosion sent gigantic rock chunks flying in every conceivable direction! The thick smoke filtered into his helmet, but was purified and converted into clean air right in time for rest of the smoke to fade away. While Drobot cleared the shields and looked ahead once more, the barrier was a barrier no more—just an easily-passed pile of rubble! He made a simple nod of approval, then blasted away a midsection in the rubble for Drill Sergeant and Nort to proceed through before moving on ahead.

Once again, everything blended into the same sights and sounds as Drobot hovered ahead… Wait a second, his map had just updated and showed him a trail of small potential obstructions… What exactly were they? Mines, miniature bombs, bear traps?

"Full view," Drobot said as a holographic, three-dimensional projection of the map popped out from his helmet's eye sockets.

Wait a second, those could hardly be called obstructions! It was all junk, from torn hats and rusty badges to much more viable walkie talkies and devices. If anything, this seemed to be some campsite's scattered trash! It looked to have been abandoned in some kind of haste, as if whoever owned it was swept away in an instant. How suspicious…

"Follow me," Drobot ordered as he sensed the presence of Nort and Drill Sergeant then stopped displaying the map, "I believe my scans may have found a clue to your missing teammates whereabouts, Nort."

"You have?" Nort exclaimed as he clasped his paws together, though the look on his face was more nervous than hopeful.

Drobot hovered up, then took a left turn and flew straight down. His eyes were trained thoroughly for any sights of the trail he had seen earlier, and yet it seemed as if he had completely escapes its view! Strange, the path was not too far according to his calculations…

"There it is!" Nort cried as he dashed under Drobot.

Drobot fell down to the ground, and found that sure enough the junk trail he had seen on the projection was only a few paces ahead. It seemed as though in his analysis, he failed to look down—he'd remember that for next time.

Nort, meanwhile, winced as he lifted up the hat and dusted it off.

"This is Captain Rizzo's hat!" Nort exclaimed as he looked back to Drobot, "And he really likes it, too! It isn't like him to abandon it for no reason…"

Nort winced as he held the hat tight, then looked back down at the trail and gasped!

"There's the captain and Blobbers' badges, their walkie talkies…" Nort collected the garbage from the ground like some kind of somber treasure hunt, "Why would they drop all this stuff?"

Nort gasped and dropped his collection into a heap on the ground.

"Unless they didn't!" Nort whimpered and began biting his nails, all while his neural readings showed increased levels of panic, "Maybe they were killed, and the killer took their stuff and lead a trail so that they could finish me off, too!"

"That is quite unlikely, Nort," Drobot remarked as he scanned the ground and looked up, "A murder of any kind would have left behind some kind of carnage—blood, fur, spit, ashes in case of an evaporation…"—Drobot tapped a claw against the mostly-pristine stone floors—"But these grounds are completely clean! If anything, a kidnapping is a more likely prospect."

"KIDNAPPING?!" Nort practically jumped out of his fur and started pacing around in a circle, "Oh no, no, not the captain, not Blobbers! Who knows what's gonna happen to them? Not me, that's for sure! They could be halfway across Skylands and I wouldn't even know where to look! What am I gonna do?"

While Nort continued gnawing on his nails, Drill Sergeant drove up to Nort and gently patted him on the legs.

"There, there, sir," Drill Sergeant beeped, "At ease, sir."

But, Drill Sergeant seemingly didn't know his own strength in comparison to Nort, and instead accidentally knocked Nort on his back!

"Owch!"

"Oh, goodness, sir!" Drill Sergeant's eyebrow panels (Or whatever they were truly called, for that was just what Drobot had always referred to them as) rapidly fluctuated as Drill Sergeant turned around and looked at Nort, "I am extremely sorry, sir!"

"Ugh… It's alright," Nort panted as he rubbed his head, "Geez, that was super hard! It was like landing on a metal—"—Nort opened his eyes as the ground began to rumble—"Block?"

Out of complete nowhere, the ground underneath Nort opened up, and not in the sense of an earthquake, but rather in the sense of a trapdoor!

Drobot and Drill Sergeant rushed towards him, but before they could Nort dropped down the open gap in the ground!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

By the time they had reached the panel, Nort had disappeared into the dark underneath them while the ground itself closed back up with a satisfied click!

"Just what was that, sir?" Drill Sergeant asked as he peered back up at Drobot.

"A trapdoor, obviously!" Drobot exclaimed, "More importantly, we need to get it open and get back Nort!"

Drobot clawed against the earth and grunted. Seems as though it wouldn't open by manual means… So, he lasered the ground beneath, but that was just an ineffective in opening it!

Drill Sergeant clicked, then raised a drill to the heavens and ran it at an incredibly rapid pace.

"Let me attempt, sir!" Drill Sergeant shouted as he plunged his drill into the ground, "After all, I have a license to drill!"

Drill Sergeant burrowed and rushed and bored all he could… But nothing happened other than him making an incredibly awful shrieking sound! Drobot had to turn down his helmet's listening mechanism before it made him short-circuit!

As he turned it back up, Drill Sergeant removed his drill hand from the earth.

"Seems as though drilling does nothing as well," Drill Sergeant sighed.

Drobot frowned, then started his hover mechanism and flew ahead. "Then it seems as though we will have to find other ways of entering."

Drobot burst ahead thanks to a boost of speed from his thrusters, then paused in midair and examined the troll camps below. Surely, some of them could have some valuable information on how to enter whatever place Nort was brought to… So, he flew behind a large rock and poked his head out, then enhanced his listening mechanisms and fixed them on the different camps.

"So, what did you say was the best way to cook sheepstew pie again?"

Nope, not that one.

"You know, this green goo stuff seems pretty cool! I wouldn't mind taking some of it for Trollver to mess with back home!"

Nor that. Drobot flicked to another one, but the things they were discussing were so vulgar he flinched and jumped to the next camp before he was subjected to any more of their crude discussions.

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't trust that weird scientist dude," Said one of the troll in a camp fifty paces northwest of where Drobot currently sat, "He may have made these cool weapons and all, but he's still a total quack!"

_Scientist, huh? _Drobot thought as he enhanced the hearing mechanisms further.

"No kidding! All he ever does is babble about his weird experiments and hole himself up in his lab," said the second troll, "He's even worse than the guys back home, and that's saying something!"

"I don't know, though…" Said a third voice, "I mean, he did make us these cool weapons! I think I can take a little weirdness."

"Weirdness? Like, 'placing trapdoors everywhere you turn in search of new test subjects' weirdness?" The second troll scoffed, "I think I've fallen down five of those today!"

_That's it! _Drobot realized as he looked up and signaled to Drill Sergeant, _I've found my culprit!_

Drill Sergeant charged down the steep ramp that lead down to the troll camps, then turned to Drobot and made a few soft clicks. Drobot nodded in return and lead Drill Sergeant through the camps as they sneaked the many troll camps and finally stormed towards a northwest one. Based on the directions Drobot received from his suit, this had to be where he heard that conversation!

"Tell me…" Drobot boomed as he stood tall against the trolls that seemingly had yet to notice him, "Where exactly is this scientist?"

"Beats me, buddy," Said one troll as they polished their rocket launcher, "That guy refuses to tell us where his lab is! I just found it by accident…"

The troll took a look around, then their jaw and rocket launcher fell! "WAIT, YOU'RE NOT THE REINFORCEMENTS!"

"Indeed, we are not, sir!" Drill Sergeant proclaimed as he wheeled around and unveiled his laser blaster, "Now, we demand to know where this scientist is located, beep-boop! Or else…"

"Like we'd tell you!" The troll grabbed their rocket launcher off the ground and turned to the other trolls in their camp, "Trollcoys, to arms!"

The trolls all shouted off cries of war as they launched their blasts and missiles at Drobot and Drill Sergeant, but the two of them were just as quick to retaliate!

Drill Sergeant immediately shot off several drill rockets that slammed into the missiles, which in turn created mid-air explosions!

The smoke from these explosions was enough to mask Drobot, who used the cover to shoot off a round of lasers which neutralized the other blasts! By the time the smoke had cleared, the only remainder of their first assault was the ashy remains of those missiles.

The trolls growled and got ready to fire again, but before they could, a robotic-sounding scream threw them all off! Wait, that sounded like… Drobot gasped and looked to where Drill Sergeant stood, but Drill Sergeant was there no more! Just an open space in the ground!

Drobot went to make chase, but before he could the ground was swept out from under his paws! He looked down, and all he could see was blinding darkness before he was swept into the depths…

§

Chihiro inhaled, exhaled then clutched her radar tight as her eyes glazed over the ragtag team she had assembled.

Right now, it was just her, Master Eon, a handful of the Skylanders, and General Robot who had insisted on tagging along, all cramped in the one tiny corner of the mess hall near the front doors. Despite how small the one corner was in comparison to their numbers, it hardly seemed tense!

As everybody chatted among themselves, Chihiro smiled and felt the tension lift from her heart.

_With a team like this… _Chihiro thought as she rubbed her fingers against the radar, _There's no way we could lose!_

"Alright everyone, here's the stitch," Chihiro proclaimed, then gulped as all eyes turned to her. Something about the way everybody looked at her made her feel a little tense, as if they were judging her for every little thing she did that lead up to this occasion! But, nonetheless she cleared her throat and proceeded.

"This radar has the locations of each Guardifound currently active." Chihiro held up the radar for all to see then placed it back to her side, "Really, all we have to do to them is simple."

Chihiro made a gesture towards Sonic Boom and Zook.

"The monsters are sensitive to loud noises, so Sonic Boom and Zook will make as much noise as they can to keep them down. While they're reeling, the rest of you will keep the other monsters occupied!"

Chihiro turned to Master Eon. "As for Master Eon and I, we'll look for the Guardifound so he can cast a no-sell spell on it and turn it back to normal."

Chihiro cast a glance and breath aside.

"Hopefully this'll work…" Chihiro whispered as she fiddled with the radar's antenna, "I mean, it sounds simple enough, right?"

Chihiro shook her head. No, there was no time for doubts right now! They had to take back their home from those things, and more importantly, Chihiro needed to fix this whole mess she caused! So, she turned back to face the bulky, imposing doors of the mess hall.

They had been blocked off with wooden boards, heavy crates and whatever other hefty kitchenware that they could scrounge up. Despite the impromptu nature of the barrier, it stood tall and strong against any opposition, or perhaps maybe the monsters simply didn't think to check the mess hall. Hopefully it was the former. But nonetheless, they had to leave the mess hall's safety if they wanted to stop these monsters.

So, Chihiro made a signal towards the Skylanders and watched them dismantle the barrier within seconds of her order!

"One, two…" Chihiro walked up to the doors and planted her hands on them, then took one last deep breath.

"NOW!"

Chihiro flung open the doors, and in moments everyone on their team burst through the doors!

The area outside had become much more ominous than before—the skies had been dyed purple while lightning-charged clouds brewed in place of the sun and stray wreckage littered the ground. And worse yet, monsters had completely overtaken the area surrounding as they trudged around like zombies.

But, this didn't scare any of them as they drew their weapons and bore scowls of war! Because this time, they weren't just serious—they were prepared, too!

The monsters that roamed around the island's heart all turned around as they heard the doors slam open, then growled and lunged straight towards them!

As the monsters lunged forward and growled, Sonic Boom and Zook looked towards each other and nodded.

"Hello, everyone!" Zook proclaimed with an odd level of confidence and a wide smile on his face as he whipped out his bazooka and emptied its ammunition, "You've arrived just in time for the concert!"

The monsters just grunted and watched in confusion as Zook flipped his bazooka around and breathed in. In fact, they were so surprised that they didn't even bother to attack, they just turned to each other and made soft, confused whispers or stared in anticipation.

"Now, before I get started…" Zook turned to Sonic Boom and raised an eyebrow, "Sonic Boom, why don't you start us off?"

"Oh, me? I don't know, I've never sung in front of a crowd before…" Sonic Boom chuckled a genuine chuckle as she stepped forward, then her gentle look turned much more intimidating as she smirked, "But I'll try!"

Sonic Boom breathed in, then out… And out from her mouth came perhaps the loudest scream Chihiro had ever heard!

Chihiro and the rest of the team all covered their ears just in the nick of time, but the monsters weren't quite as quick to prepare! The monsters could only screech and make choked sobs as they fell to their knees and tried so hard to shield their ears from that awful, awful noise… And leave themselves wide open to attacks in the process!

Chihiro said no words, but merely ushered everyone else forward. Thankfully, however, her message was perfectly conveyed as they all jumped into the fray!

Terrafin and Bash were the first to jump forward, and Terrafin the first to attack as he socked a monster straight in the chest! While it flew back, Bash rolled forward and charged straight into it before it could even recover!

All it could do was scream as it crashed headfirst into the ground. The monster grunted as it tried to pull itself back up, but before it could the sound of screechy didgeridoo playing forced it back on the earth!

Terrafin and Bash turned around and smiled, because sure enough Zook was behind them and diligently played his hollowed-out bazooka with all the breath he could muster.

Stealth Elf was not one to be outdone, however! While Terrafin and Bash were brawling, she had cornered a trio of monsters who was still reeling from Sonic Boom's earlier performance. They tried to reach out and grab her, but they were so disoriented that they could barely keep their feet on the ground! And Stealth Elf's constant teleporting probably didn't help, either!

"Am I here?" Stealth Elf asked as she vanished and reappeared a few paces west, "Or am I here?"—Stealth Elf vanished again and popped up behind a stack of crates—"Maybe I'm over here!"

The monsters finally got fed up enough that they pushed themselves towards Stealth Elf, but she hardly seemed intimidated as she waltzed out of her crate hideout… Then disappeared right before they could catch her or stop themselves in time! All they could do was conk their heads against each other, then stagger around and fall into a groaning pile.

"That's what you get for not watching where you're going!" Stealth Elf chided as she reappeared and crossed her arms, only to twitch her ears and duck as a stream of scalding water soared ahead of her!

This stream immediately smacked into a few of the other monsters who were still standing somehow, much to their disdain as they wiped their eyes and looked back at the water stream's source—which was none other than Gill Grunt!

Gill Grunt just smiled as he hoisted up his harpoon gun, the barrel of which now dripped with hot water that quickly evaporated as he held his finger tight on the trigger. As he held it tight, something metallic and silver in color poked its way out from the barrel.

"ANCHORS AWAY!" Gill Grunt exclaimed as he released the trigger and ricocheted back as a gigantic anchor flew from his gun! He grunted as he dug his heels into the dirt, then looked up and smiled as he watched the anchor blow several of the monsters into the trees with a loud crunch.

As she saw the Skylanders fight, Chihiro felt a spark of excitement burn in her heart and knew one thing… She had to get a piece of this action! So, she stowed away the radar in her pocket, then looked aside and grabbed a particularly large tree branch. She grunted as she lifted up the branch, fixed her eyes on a particular large monster that loitered around the forest outskirts, bolted towards it and…

"TAKE THIS, YOU OVERGROWN STOMPING BLOCK!" Chihiro screamed to the heavens as she slammed the branch on the monster… But it was so strong that the branch just snapped in half!

Chihiro winced as she looked down at the broken half of the branch that still laid in her hands, then broke into a cold sweat as she looked up and saw the now very angry monster loom down over her.

"Actually I take it back," Chihiro giggled as she tossed the broken branch away, "You're the perfect size for a stomping block—"

Chihiro gasped, then bolted off as the monster punched into bulky hand into the area she used to stand on.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Chihiro made heavy strides down the leaf-covered grass while pounding footsteps resounded behind her, a sure sign that the monster she had aggravated was in hot pursuit! Chihiro fell to her knees and panted, only to shoot her head up as she heard a familiar voice shout out, following by the sound of crackling flames, skidding and shaken ground! Chihiro just made a small chuckle as the a loud crash sounded off, then stood back up.

"Thanks for the save, Golden Boy!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around and gave Spyro a thumbs up.

"No problem, Chi!" Spyro shouted as he nodded towards Chihiro and landed on the ground.

They all kept their breath bated as they looked over the fallen monsters, with Zook even taking a moment to breath from his intense performance. While it looked like they were down for the count, they had learned by now not to hold their breath…

ZAP! Down from the skies came bright purple bolts of lightning that zapped the monsters below!

Chihiro yelped as she jumped just inches away from one, then looked up and frown. Right at the top of the portal building, something bright and sparkly shone like a Christmas tree's star… But what was it? Chihiro, unfortunately, didn't get much time to ponder that!

Why? Well, one by one, the monsters started to groan and shudder while static crackled across their bodies… Then one pushed itself off the ground, follow by two, three, five… Soon enough, all of them jumped back to the feet and into the fray! The Skylanders rushed in to attack, but this time the monsters were more than prepared—every magical attack deflected, every physical one block, every blow from the monsters themselves barely dodged.

"EAT MISSILE, YOU RATTY LITTLE PUNKS!" General Robot exclaimed as he shot a series of missiles from his shoulder cannons at the monsters!

The missiles swarmed towards the monsters, who all turned and looked around right as the missiles crashed into them then fell straight down as the missiles exploded!

"That should take care of that…" General Robot remarked as he turned around, only to stop as groaned echoed about.

The monsters twitched their toes, growled and jumped back to their feet! Much to the shock of General Robot, who dropped his metallic jaw as he turned around and saw them rush towards him!

Before they could attack, however, Terrafin rushed forward then punched down one of the monsters and smirked as the monster hit its head on a nearby rock… However, the monster just swung its hand back and smashed the rock like a hammer would! Terrafin raised and eyebrow and stepped back, but the monster took his moment of surprise to punch him in the gut and send him flying into a circle of monsters! Terrafin snarled, then dove underground and swam underneath the dirt—and the monsters' feet!

"Hey, Chi!" Terrafin called as he jumped up, then punched a monster down and looked back at Chihiro, "Hate to rush things, but did you find that head monster thing yet?"—Terrafin clenched his teeth as he bobbed out the way of another monster and punched it in the back— "These guys don't wanna give up!"

Terrafin was right! It seemed as if every time they knocked one back down, it immediately jumped back up twice as strong as it was before! And worse yet, a quick look behind showed that Zook was now completely exhausted, and while Sonic Boom was screeching the best she could to keep them down her screams didn't have nearly the same range as Zook's music!

Seems as if Chihiro would have to hurry this up… With a wince, shesnatched the radar out from her pocket and glazed over its screen.

"It should be…" Chihiro said as she looked up, only to gasp and stow the radar away, "There it is!"

Sure enough, a Guardifound monster the color of blue skies wandered around the forest mouth in a confused haze, as if it had no idea where it was! And better yet, it was completely open!

Chihiro smirked and ran off, then magically levitated a medium-sized rock and tossed it right at the Guardifound! Oddly enough it didn't seem to notice her… But the moment the rock shattered against its head, well, then she certainly got its attention! The Guardifound roared and chased after Chihiro, but she only turned tail and raced back to where the Skylanders were fighting the other monsters!

"Got it here, guys, I—EEK!"

Chihiro screamed and ducked as the Guardifound swiped at her, then rolled underneath the legs of another monster, staggered back up and panted. "Think you might wanna take care of it!"

And that's just what the Skylanders did!

A roar from Sonic Boom made the Guardifound shudder and fall to its knees, which gave Bash the perfect opportunity to crash into it and shoot it down!

As the Guardifound groaned and tried to get back up, Spyro teleported behind it and charged it straight into Gill Grunt, who then beaned it in the head with a harpoon! The Guardifound groaned and collapsed at last, which in turn revealed that it had a decently-sized crack on its head. And while it groaned and whined, the other monsters fell to their knees and cried in pain as well.

"Master Eon, now!" Chihiro shouted as she turned back to Master Eon, who bobbed up and down in response.

"Understood, young Chihiro!"

Master Eon levitated in the skies, then shot a laser beam of magic straight into the heart of the Guardifound!

The Guardifound screamed and struggled as it was levitated into the air and enveloped in a cocoon of rainbow-streaked while light, then slowly its cries faded with the light… And when the light finally faded, it dropped back to the ground an ordinary artifact once more!

All around them, the other monsters froze and squealed before the magic jumped out of their bodies, which forced them back to their original forms with a loud POP!

"Whew, that's one down!" Chihiro sighed as she magicked up a sack and collected the artifacts from the ground, "Say, I wonder where the next one is?"

"HELPPPPPPPPPPPP!" Cried a robotic-sounding voice from the beach.

Spyro winced then took the skies immediately.

"I think I might have an idea!" Spyro shouted as he pointed to the beach's stairs.

Chihiro grunted as she and Master Eon teleported down, then turned around and found the beach was in utter chaos, and not the kind Kaos caused! (Thankfully for her—she wasn't sure she could handle Kaos on top of all this)

There, tons of smaller monsters were kicking up sand, chasing the local wildlife and tossing all sorts of garbage everywhere! Worse yet, several of them had ganged up on poor Clam-Tron! They were kicking sand into his joints, banging on his chest and jumping all over him like some kind of playground attraction!

"Shoo, shoo, you awful imps!" Clam-Tron demanded as he futilely tried to shoo away the monsters, "Didn't your mother ever tell you how to…"

Just then, Clam-Tron froze as several of the monsters gathered up garbage from the beach and looked at him with a devious smirk!

"No, not the garbage!" Clam-Tron begged as one of the monster pulled open the door on his chest, "I'll smell for weeks!"

They all laughed as they wound back their arms and got ready to throw the garbage inside… But before they could, Chihiro teleported in front of Clam-Tron and magically shot the garbage back at them!

"Sorry for the wait, Clam-Tron!" Chihiro said as she turned around and waved, "We had some—"—Chihiro looked aside and scratched the top of her head—"complications."

Clam-Tron just breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the oil from his head, then frowned as he looked towards the monsters.

The monsters, however, didn't really notice him, for they were more concerned with trying to wipe the garbage from their eyes!

While they struggled and pulled assorted trash from their faces, Chihiro scanned through the crowds and smiled as she caught sight of what seemed to be an incredibly small yellow Guardifound!

"Found you!" Chihiro hissed as she narrowed her eyes. She crackled her knuckles a few times, then in one fell swoop she leaped forward, grabbed the Guardifound by the head and slammed it against the cliffside!

While the Guardifound slunk down from the wall and all the other monsters fell down with it, Master Eon zipped across the beach at a speed fast enough to kick up sand clouds! He skidded to a stop, then shot another no-sell laser right at the Guardifound's heart.

The Guardifound was enveloped in light and returned to normal in a flash, as did the other monsters it had created… Much to Chihiro's relief as she went to collect them.

"Let's see…" Chihiro lurched up and took a pause from artifact collecting as she retrieved her radar. With a simple button press on her end, a much more complex holographic map littered with one whole dot popped out from the radar!

"Seems like the next Guardifound's in the forest!"

Chihiro and Master Eon nodded towards each other, then teleported back up to the top of the stairs. Chihiro urged everyone else to come closer with a wave of her hand, then once they were all together they placed their hands on top of each other. As Master Eon dropped on top of the hand pile, they all glowed with a halo of pale light that soon wrapped them up and shipped them away to the forest entrance.

Chihiro bit her lip as she pocketed the radar, then looked back to the Skylanders and nodded. Despite this being the last Guardifound they had to face, something in her gut told her that this was gonna go really bad, but, maybe that was just her residual anxiety over this whole situation talking.

Plus, there was still that strange light from the portal building that shone bright despite the lack of a potential source. Something about it egged at Chihiro's heart with its suspicious brightness… Just what was it? She wanted to figure out now, but right now the first thing she needed to do was find this Guardifound and stop it!

So, she nonetheless forced herself to storm into the forest with the rest of her team close behind…

§

"Oh, my head…" Nort groaned as he pulled himself off the cold, metallic floors and swerved his head around.

The entire area was super dark, and only vaguely lit by the passing light of bright lasers and dim computer screens, though the light as least gave some clues as to the current location. Bars like the ones used in dungeons or jail cells enveloped Nort, while the lighting shone over endless stretch of machinery and computer panels. It all held some kind of ominous aura, like just being in here put one in danger…

Nort winced as he looked around, though even with the faint light it was still too dark to properly make out the surroundings, then screamed as a bright light flashed out of nowhere!

"Nort!" Cried a grizzled voice as the new light vaguely illuminated another mabu man who held a flashlight in his grizzled paws, "They got you too, huh?"

"Wait a second…" Nort whispered as he crawled forward, "Is that you, Captain Rizzo?"

"You bet it is!" The mabu man held the flashlight to his face and beamed, then nudged it over to another, slightly shorter mabu man to the left, "That creep had me and Blobbers locked up here for what seemed like forever!"

"Wait, creep? Locked up? But what for?" Nort wrung his hands and winced, "What's going on here?"

"Experiments, that's what!" Rizzo shuddered as he dropped his flashlight to the ground.

"The captain's right!" Whispered Blobbers, his voice higher and hoarse, "While we were trying to get the goo, that scientist captured us and trapped us in this cage! If he hadn't found those Skylanders and went to mess with them, we'd be buttered toast!"

"Oh geez," Nort whimpered as his eyes widened, "Wait… How did you know there were Skylanders here?"

"Look no further, Nort," Rizzo said as he pointed towards a screen adjacent to their cage.

Nort took one look at the screen, then gasped and held his paws over his mouth.

"Oh no! Not the Skylanders, too!" Nort winced and looked down at his hands, which were now clammy and held tight.

There, displayed on its dimly lit monitor was a green-lit screen of Drobot and Drill Sergeant, both of whom looked horribly lost as they navigated through the otherwise expansive darkness with only Drobot's eyebeams for a light source…

"Do you see a light switch anywhere, Drill Sergeant?" Drobot asked as he moved his head left and right.

"I am afraid not, sir," Drill Sergeant chirped as he looked around, "But then again, even with my enhanced eyesight, I cannot see a thing in this darkness!"

"ALLOW ME TO HELP YOU, THEN!" Proclaimed a booming voice as the lights flickered on!

Drobot and Drill Sergeant stepped back as their prison was revealed to be a red-walled room with oddly-placed circle panels that vaguely resembled a training arena. The floors were marked like they were in the training arena back home, the walls seemed incredibly firm given their shiny metal, and the whole area was even constructed in a dome shape! On top of that, a pale reddish-orange light lit the room in an oddly concerning color…

While Drobot and Drill Sergeant examined the surroundings, a screen popped out from the ceiling and flickered on to show the image of a troll dressed in broken goggles and a stained lab coat with a concerning grin on his face.

"Are you the one who possesses this strange place?" Drobot asked as he stepped forward and withdrew his laser cannons, "If so, I demand you free us at once!"

"Free us?" The troll echoed, then broke into hapless laughter so intense he fell on his back! All that could be seen was his legs as he kicked them in the air!

"THE SPECIMENS WANT ME TO FREE THEM BEFORE THE EXAMINATION, THAT'S A GOOD ONE!" The troll cackled as he pulled himself back to full height and slammed his fist against an unseen desk, "Scanners, begin the examination!"

Right as the troll said this, the entire area began flashing red as steam and hissing sounds emerged from the walls!

"EXAMINATION IN PROGRESS… EXAMINATION IN PROGRESS…" Droned several round, vaguely humanoid robots as they popped out of the walls and circled around Drill Sergeant and Drobot!

The two of them winced and readied their arms, but oddly enough the machines didn't attack! They just scanned down Drobot and Drill Sergeant, then fled back into the holes from which they came!

"… Er, just what was that?" Drobot asked as he watched the last robot scurry into its hiding place, then lifted his head as he heard the troll scientist ooh.

"My, my, what impressive specimens!" The troll remarked as he examined something on a screen that lit his face a slight tinge of blue, "A homebrewed cyborg that could make it with the best, and a bona fide Arkeyan war machine! Those aren't things you see everyday…"

The troll scientist turned off the screen and made a terrifyingly large grin as he placed his goggles over his eyes. "Let me tell you, I can't wait to take you apart and find out just what makes you tick!"

"Wait, did he say… Take apart?" Drill Sergeant asked as his laser blaster began spinning, as did the rest of him! He had flung into a complete panic as he circled around the room, complete with eyebrow panels flipped every which way and drills spinning so fast they nearly flew off his hands.

"ABORT, ABORT, BEEP BOOP BEEP! I REPEAT, ABORT MISSION—"

"Drill Sergeant, calm down!" Drobot exclaimed as he flew up to Drill Sergeant and used his suit's mechanical arms to stop Drill Sergeant short, "We cannot get out if we are panicking!"

While Drill Sergeant shuddered to a stop, Drobot looked aside and gasped.

"A door!" Drobot turned back to Drill Sergeant and pushed him in the door's direction, "Drill Sergeant quickly! See if you can drill a way out!"

"Understood, sir!" Drill Sergeant whirred as he made a beeline towards the door, "After all, I do not wish to become scrap metalllllllLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

Before Drill Sergeant was even a hair's breadth away from the door, a bounce pad tossed him across the room and knocked him on his back!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, silly specimen!" The troll scolded as he wagged a finger, "You can't leave yet?"

"Why not?" Drobot hissed as he helped Drill Sergeant back up.

"Because I haven't seen you in action yet, that's why!"

The click of a button resounded all across the room, and before anybody knew it the panels in the walls opened and tons of bulky, crude-looking robots flooded into the room! Their eyes glowed red as they raised their weapons, and one phrase came from them all.

"ATTACK PROTOCOL, INITIATED!" All the robots cried in unison as they pointed their weapons in a circle around Drobot and Drill Sergeant.

"So that is how you wish to play, do you?" Drobot asked as he flicked open his laser cannons, "Very well then!"

The eye slots on Drobot's helmet blinked for just a second, and in moments gigantic red lasers shot through the room and seared holes through an entire row of robots well before they could ever lay their first blow! As they all fell down and sparked, Drobot stood tall over the chest of one.

"That is how I BLINK AND DESTROY!"

Drobot hovered up as a red and gold blur barreled through several still-active robots and tossed them in the air! While the robots hung in the air for those few meager seconds, he flicked a switch and sent a gigantic bladegear slicing right through them!

"Thank you for the assistance, Drill Sergeant!" Drobot shouted as he looked down to see Drill Sergeant bore lasers through more robots.

"You are more than welcome, sir!" Drill Sergeant proclaimed as he revved his drills and tore through the next round of robotic solders, "It is what I was built for after all, sir!"

Just then, a sharp rip was heard as the gigantic bladegear Drobot had shot out earlier slammed itself into the wall!

"Hey, watch it! That room took me years to perfect!" The troll barked as he shook a fist.

"Well sir, if you did not wish for this room to be harmed," Drill Sergeant said as he looked up at the troll scientist while his blaster shot a few robots down, "Then perhaps you should not host combat within it!"

"DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR OPINION, SPECIMEN!"

The troll snarled, then slammed a button and dyed everything in the room a bright shade of crimson the color of fresh blood!

All at once, the robot soldiers grew taller… Very taller! They loomed over Drill Sergeant with narrowed eye slots and laser cannons at the ready, all while their armor bulked up and filled with extra spikes and padding. Looks like they meant business now! Drill Sergeant immediately shot his drill hands towards them, butthose drill hands only harmlessly bounced off their shoulders and well away from Drill Sergeant's reach!

Drill Sergeant looked down at his notably drill-less hands, then made a series of frantic beeps and boops as the robots all dogpiled on him!

"DROBOT, SIR! REQUESTING AID, SIR!"

"Drill Sergeant!" Drobot called as he soared over to Drill Sergeant's aid, but before he could reach him several of the heightened robots formed a makeshift barricade between him and Drill Sergeant!

Drobot growled, then his eyes flashed a shade of crimson as bright as the light that currently filtered the room.

"I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!"

Right as Drobot cried these words out, a thick laser beam that spread through the entire area in front of Drobot shot out and fried the robots into crumbled, ashy parts! And not just those ones, either, but the ones that had piled on Drill Sergeant crumbled into nothing as well!

Drill Sergeant got up and spun around, all while his mechanical eyes "blinked" rapidly. Then, once he finally settled himself, he strolled over to where his drill hands resided and clicked them back onto his body.

"Drill Sergeant, are you alright?" Drobot asked as he hovered down next to Drobot.

"Indeed, sir!" Drill Sergeant chirped as he turned to Drobot.

Drill Sergeant rolled up to Drobot and went to say more, but before he could, something shocked him so badly that he immediately froze!

"SAKASDLLSAKDJSJKLADJLKSADLJKSADLSJKADSADJKLALKASDLJASDASDJLDS!" was the best translation of the garbled nonsense that poured out of Drill Sergeant's mouth while static crackled around him, "ALPHA BETA DELTA OMEGA GAMMA EPSILON—"

"Drill Sergeant, what is going on?" Drobot shouted as he reached out for Drill Sergeant, only for the static to sear his paw and cause him to jump back and cry in pain! Drobot quickly blew off his toes, then bit his lip as Drill Sergeant's nonsense babble slowed.

"All systems…" Drill Sergeant groaned in a slower, more emotionless version of his usual voice as the static faded, "Offflineeeeeeeeee."

And just like that, Drill Sergeant fell face-forward with a loud thud, while all around the robots they destroyed were swept back into the floors… And yet, Drobot paid no mind to them and just stood there, completely frozen next to Drill Sergeant in shock.

"Drill Sergeant, Drill Sergeant!" Drobot shouted as he tried to shake Drill Sergeant awake with little success, "Now is no time to enter sleep mode!"

Drobot winced as he turned Drill Sergeant around and tried to locate some kind of power switch, only to scream in pain as something tased him and forced him on the floor! Drobot shuddered as he held his helmeted head, which still sparked with residual electricity, then looked up to see one a gigantic robot with a taser for a hand stand over him!

"Seems I missed one," Drobot hissed as he stood his ground, "I will remedy that now!"

Drobot tried to fire off something from his armor… But nothing came from his suit, just a series of whirrs and clicks and beeps.

"What, what's going on?" Drobot's voice became more shrill, withdrawn and strung with panic, and only grew worse as his eyes widened, "The voice synthesizers… Wait, my suit, it isn't working!"

"That's odd," the scientist remarked as he stroked his chin, "That taser should have completely shut down all machinery! Why are you still up and running?"—The scientist's eyes widened in shock—"Unless…"

The robot yanked the still-panicked Drobot off the floor, then slammed him into a wall and released him as he slid down and fell completely unconscious. It twisted off the head of Drobot's suit… To reveal the head of an ordinary dragon, olive and reptilian with spotted brown markings around his eyes and a brown underbelly!

"What?! Don't tell me… That cyborg was just an ordinary dragon all along?" The scientist scoffed in disgust as he held his head in his hands, "And here I thought I had stumbled upon the ultimate cyborg!"

The scientist slammed a fist against an unseen table, then pointed a finger at the screen. "Robot, scan that dragon!"

"SCANNING NOW!" The robot buzzed as it scanned down Drobot's unconscious body.

The scientist frowned as he examined an offscreen list, then groaned and held his head again.

"SO IT WAS AN ORDINARY DRAGON! WHY, WHY ME?!" The scientist made another sigh as he lifted his head up. "But, I suppose I'll just have to make the best of it. Robot, rid the dragon of its armor and haul them away!"

And that's what the robot did as it stripped Drobot of his mechanical wings, then hauled both Drobot and Drill Sergeant over its shoulders as it left the room…

§

Chihiro frowned as she looked down at her radar, which still depicted that same purple dot. By all accounts, this forest should have been the place where that next Guardifound was, so where was it? Everything was oddly noiseless as they trekked through the forest. Heck, even the birds and bugs had gone quiet! It was like something had scared them all silent…

Until a branch cracked!

"WHO'S THERE?!" Chihiro demanded as she whipped her head back and forth… Yet nothing showed. No monsters from the bushes, out of the trees, or even gallivanting about in plain sight! Just chilling silence and absence of any life save for themselves.

Chihiro's hands turned clammy as she held the radar a little tighter. The Skylanders had already braced themselves for any sort of attacker, as did General Robot who had a choice selection of missiles loaded into his shoulders. That is, until Master Eon shot him a look and he withdrew them.

RUSTLE RUSTLE! RUSTLE RUSTLE!

The sound of shaking leaves swirled through the forest, this time at an even greater intensity than before! There was no mistaking it, that had to be one of their targets!

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Chihiro shoved the radar in her pocket and held out her hands like those kung-fu movies stars did, "OR I'LL DRAG YOU OUT HERE BY THE SCRUFF OF YOUR NECK!"

Okay, that sounded a lot cooler in Chihiro's head. But, regardless of how bad it sounded, it definitely seemed to get her mystery target's attention!

The rustling grew more intense as it infected every other bush around, but this time it wasn't the only sound. Now, low growling reverberated from the bushes, paired with the sounds of stomping feet and glowing dots that poked out from the few free spaces in the bushes. That had to be…

"GRRRRAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

It was! The monsters had jumped out from the bushes, and they weren't here to play!

Luckily, neither was Spyro as he shot a burning white fireball right towards a particularly large red monster… Only for it to chomp down on the fireball like it was a white-hot gumball! The monster made a number of munching sounds, then swallowed the fire and glowed with an intense light!

"CRAP!" Spyro exclaimed as he jumped back, then lowered his horns and growled.

As smoke billowed from his nostrils, Spyro fired forwards and tackled the red-hot monster straight in the chest! It wailed in pain as Spyro's blow sent into right into the trunk of a bulky oak tree, but it wasn't enough to break the monster's stride. While it burned an imprint in the wood, the monster got back out and held out its hands! Those hands soon morphed into round hand-cannons, complete with brightly-burning fireballs as their ammo!

Spyro didn't run away as the fireballs closed in on him. Instead, he breathed in, closed his eyes… And all around him, the fireballs froze into midair before they completely dissipated into tiny embers that barely left a scorch!

"You're not the only ones who can play with fire!" Spyro proclaimed as he opened his cherry red eyes and lowered his horns. Streaking flames swirled around his horns like smoke clouds, in a kind of magical way that was almost hypnotic to watch, then finally they engulfed him completely in fire!

The monster stood in total shock, but not for long as Spyro charged right into its chest and set it off balance! The force sent it straight into the bushes with a chorus of cries, not just from the impact but because it had been set on fire as while!

The burning monster sped off into the distance in some frantic attempt to put the fires out, and soon its cries were replaced by growls as its friends limped out of the bushes and leaned against the trees.

"Zook, Sonic Boom!" Spyro cried as he turned back to them, "Start the concert!"

Zook and Sonic Boom nodded and readied their noisemaking, but before they could even start the monsters uprooted the trees from the ground and swung them around like baseball bats!

The wind from their attacks was so intense, it caused everyone to start skidding! They dug their heels and tried to stay put, but with how intense the wind was it was like trying to stay put in the middle of an intense storm.

And worse yet, they had focused so hard on staying grounded that they couldn't even sling a single attack! They were sitting ducks ripe for the monsters' hunt!

One took full advantage of this and immediately swiped Bash off his feet, which sent him crashing towards Stealth Elf! Stealth Elf seemingly got lucky as she teleported out of the way just before they made contact, but when she reappeared another quickly gut-punched her before she could react!

Stealth Elf cried out as she slammed into one of the few standing trees, then tumbled down onto her belly and grunted.

"Guess I wasn't fast enough that time…" Stealth Elf groaned as she lifted her head up, then was immediately smacked back into the tree by a flying Terrafin, "Hey, watch where you're landing!"

Stealth Elf glared up at Terrafin as she crawled out from under him, but he just winced and rubbed his head, which now had a noticeable bruise on it.

Spyro growled as he watched Stealth Elf and Terrafin try to regain their senses, then turned around, lowered his head and scraped the ground as if he was going to charge… But before he could even take a step forwards, a powerful gust shot him backwards! Spyro could only scream and try desperately to fight against the winds, then stopped as something grabbed onto him and put him down on the ground.

"At ease, soldier!" General Robot proclaimed as he gave Spyro a robotic salute, "With my heavy machinery…"

General Robot's eyes flared with a bright light as he glared down the monsters.

"I'm more than equipped to take care of these vermin!"

In a flash of literal light, gigantic lasers burst out from General Robot's eyes at such an intense velocity that it even knocked General Robot himself back! These lasers slammed into the monsters who were making all this awful wind and sliced the trees they used clean in half, not that they would notice as they were too busy wailing and covering their eyes.

The Skylanders immediately gathered their bearings and fought, all while Zook and Sonic Boom played their music so loud it kept any of those monsters from recovering!

Fireballs, water streams, anchors, missiles and magic blasts alike tore through the forest as the monsters tried to fight back against the onslaught. But, with the Skylanders' combined power and the ongoing noise, the monsters were completely helpless! It was a one-sided battle, and the Skylanders were on the winning side!

And with the monsters preoccupied, Chihiro had the perfect chance! She immediately rushed off into the deeper parts of the woods, her eyes fixed on any sign of the Guardifound. She took one last glimpse at her radar, then pushed through the bushes and crept down the trees… To find a bright green Guardifound monster lollygagging around as it slept under a tree!

"Wow, this is too easy!" Chihiro whispered as she watched the Guardifound meander.

With a snap of her fingers, Chihiro created a gigantic magical hand, then nudged it over to the resting place of a particularly large boulder.

The hand yanked the boulder off the ground in an instant, then tossed it right at the Guardifound in one mighty swing! The Guardifound made an unholy screech as the boulder shattered against it and disturbed its nap, then it shook its head and groaned as it reached its bulky hands towards the storming skies.

"MASTER EON, NOW!" Chihiro exclaimed as she waved towards Master Eon.

Master Eon teleported over to Chihiro's side, then without a word hit the Guardifound with that same no-sell spell he had used several times before! The Guardifound was trapped in a prison of light much like the rest, then as the light faded the Guardifound's decidedly normal artifact form dropped back on the grass!

"Nice!" Chihiro chirped as she reached down and went to collect the now-inactive Guardifound, "Another one's in the…"

"Young Chihiro, look out!" Master Eon exclaimed.

Chihiro yelped as something yanked her away from the Guardifound, then screamed as a gigantic magical lightning bolt crashed down onto the Guardifound! The Guardifound levitated in the air with an ominous green glow, then was enveloped back in bright light and slowly formed a solid body once more… Except it had to have been twice as large as before!

"Crap!" Chihiro hissed through gritted teeth as the solid, now-larger Guardifound glowered over her, "I'm gonna need a bigger rock!"

Chihiro grabbed Master Eon, then ducked and covered as the newly revived Guardifound sent out a magical shockwave! While the Guardifound recovered from such a hefty attack, Chihiro gazed over at a boulder the size of a tree and lifted it off the ground with all her might!

However, even that wasn't enough! She strained as she just barely lifted it off the ground… Then opened her eyes to see Master Eon supply his own magic to toss it straight towards the Guardifound!

The Guardifound grunted and looked up as the boulder came crashing towards it, then it snarled and shattered the boulder like a pebble!

"Oh geez, looks like it's time to get out of here!"

Chihiro bit her nails, then turned back to Master Eon and let him rest on her open palm. In a flash they both teleported back to the main group… Only to find that the rest of the group was held up by larger, revived versions of the other monsters!

"Chi, Master Eon!" Terrafin shouted as he frantically punched away monsters, though his hits did little to dissuade them, "What's going on here?!"

"I don't know!" Chihiro exclaimed as she haphazardly ruffled her hair, "One minute I was getting ready to put that Guardifound away, then next thing I know it got struck by weird lightning and all this happened!"—Chihiro ruffled her head even more furiously than before—"What could have possibly…"

Chihiro stopped and looked up as the rumble of thunder echoed throughout the skies. Above them, the purple clouds that blocked the sun practically oozed magic energy as they grew thicker and thicker, while their thunder and lightning struck down on the ground below and created all sorts of odd, magical occurrences!

Flowers jumped up and danced away, the grass weaved itself into tiny grass warriors, even piles of leaves swept themselves off the ground and made humanoid forms from their leaves before being swept away…

"Well, that answers one thing. But what on Earth caused this…" Chihiro stopped short and bit her lip.

"Wait a second! I did abandon that one, and if Master Eon is right they do get stronger with every one they power. Could it have possibly?…" Chihiro paused and shook her head, "Well, if it did, why didn't it show up on the radar?"

Just then, a low growl alerted Chihiro to the fact that she was still in the midst of battle! She frantically rolled out of the way as one monster shot a series of rockets in her direction, jumped back as a lightning bolt struck her prior resting place… Then her eyes widened as the radar fell out of her pocket and got zapped by the lightning!

"Oh no…" Chihiro held her hands over her mouth as she whimpered, then warily picked up the radar and breathed a sigh of relief, "Wait, oh yes! It still works, thank goodness!"

Chihiro looked over the radar's screen and frowned. There on the radar's map, approximately around the place where the portal building would be sat a purple dot larger than all the other blipped and beeped. Wait a second, that light she saw earlier!…

"That's gotta be the original one! Now we just have to get out of here and find it!" Chihiro tapped the radar's screen and frowned.

"Stealth!" Chihiro shouted as she dodged another monster's blow and turned to Stealth Elf, "Can you distract these guys?"

"On it!" Stealth Elf shouted back with a nod.

Stealth Elf pressed her hands together, then disappeared and reappeared close to Chihiro's side. In the place where she once stood, a scarecrow with a striking resemblance to Stealth Elf now laid! And thankfully, it was either convincing enough or the monsters were stupid enough that it completely befuddled them! As the monsters huddled around the scarecrow and rumbled, everybody gathered together and teleported away…

/**LOG** **DATE ?.?.?, TIME ?.?.?**/

Drobot shuddered as he opened his eyes and got around. For some reason, he felt… Strange, like he was missing something very, very important that he couldn't possibly be without. He groaned as he rubbed a paw against his scaly, dizzy head… Wait, scaly? Why did he feel scales and not the cold, metallic touch of his armor?

Yes, something was _definitely_ wrong.

Drobot patted his back next, but he didn't feel his perfectly-tuned mechanical wings—just scaly, non-mechanical wings where any normal dragon's wings would have been positioned! What was going on?! Had his armor been taken from him?

"Skylander!" Called Nort's voice from somewhere a little further down, "You're alright, thank goodness! But… What happened to your armor?"

Oh no. Oh no no no no no no no no no no no no. His armor was gone, his armor really _was _gone! What was he going to do? Drobot felt his heart beat fast without ever realizing, but the cold, clammy sweat he had broken into made it barely notable in his mind. What could he do? How could get anything done without his armor?! What even happened to his armor? Had it been broken in the fight? No, he surely would've noticed if that was the case—what could have possibly…

"Er, Skylander?" Called a slightly grizzled voice from across.

Drobot breathed slow and heavy as he looked across from where he stood now. The whole room was cold and dark and metallic, only lit by the faint light of the screens and lasers abound, but he could just barely make out the sight of three mabu men, dressed in mock military clothes. Could that be?… No, that was definitely the Mabu Defense Force!

"Are you alright?" Asked the mabu man with the grizzled voice.

"I'm, I'm fine!" Drobot denied as he looked down at his paws. Just being so vulnerable around those he swore to protect filled his heart with an awful kind of shame… But he couldn't dare confess his weakness.

"Good!" The grizzled-voiced mabu clapped his hands, "Then you can help us get out before that weird scientist dude comes back!"

"Yeah!" Cried another with a slightly higher voice, "That'll show him, break out before he even gets a chance to do those weird experiments he was talking about!"

_Experiments._

That was it! Now the memories began to load back into Drobot's mind. The battles, that strange troll scientist with an odd fixations on machinery and experiments… Oh no. Just then, it finally hit Drobot where his armor went.

_That scientist! He must have taken it! _Drobot reasoned as he held his head, _And if he took my armor, then surely he must have taken Drill Sergeant too!_

Oh, what was he going to do? Drobot's heart raced faster than before as the blood pumped hard and loud in his ears. This was truly hopeless! His armor and comrade were both taken away because of his own inadequacy, he was locked away, powerless and unable to do anything…

"Skylander? Skylander?" The grizzled voice mabu called, "What's the plan?"

"I'm, I'm, I'm sorry," Drobot sputtered and held his head, his voice trilled with fear and his words so full of shame he nearly choked on them, "But I can't help you!"

Drobot fell to the floor as the mabu men gasped. The cold of his metallic prison seeped into his body and sent chills down his spine, but he couldn't possibly care about that!

"Without my armor, I'm useless! I'm just another ordinary, powerless dragon without it!" Drobot shuddered as the cold chilled his bones, and perhaps his heart was next, "And an ordinary dragon can't do anything about this…"

All was quiet as Drobot shivered and choked on his own fears, completely frozen in shame as he awaited the decrying calls of those around. As far as he was concerned, he deserved it! He lost his precious suit, effectively failed his mission, and now he'd lead several innocents to what would surely be their grave? How could he call himself a Skylander? How could they stand to be in the same room with him?

"That's not true!" Nort retorted from the other side of the room, "You're not useless!"

... What? Drobot gently lifted his head from the ground and blinked back tears. They were... Encouraging him, not scorning him or denouncing his very existence? At least, he thought they were—without his tone analyzer he was not entirely certain.

"You made that suit yourself, right?"

"Yes, every last feature." Drobot made a faint nod before he looked back down.

"I can't imagine making a suit of armor with lasers and shields and fancy map-making and all those features, but you did all that and made it sound like it was kid's stuff!" Nort's eyes sparkled against the faint light.

"Yeah!" Cried the grizzled-voiced mabu in affirmation as his eyes faintly lit up from the screens' faint light, "You're Drobot, right? The Skylander with an IQ of two hundred and fifty?"

"Er, yes…" Drobot made a strangled gasp and looked away, "How did you know?"

"We're all big fans of you Skylanders and your work!" The grizzled-voiced mabu nodded, as did Nort and the other mabu beside him, then he shook his head, "But that's beside the point here."

"Only someone who's super smart could do all that, and a suit of armor doesn't give you smarts! That's something you gotta work for!" The grizzled-voiced mabu beamed and pounded a fist against his paw. "You don't need that suit to be strong, 'cause your real strength is how smart you are! With your brain, I'm sure you get through anything—even this!"

"You're more than just a suit of armor!" The higher-voiced mabu spoke up, "You're a Skylander, and Skylanders never give up, right? So don't give up on yourself now!"

As he heard this, Drobot simply pursed his mouth and basked in silent contemplation. That was right… Everything he did to make that armor and all its different features, everything he had done to succeed as a Skylander, all those things he considered his greatest victories… There was no way he would have achieved that without his own intelligence and hard work. Perhaps he did stock too much of his value in that suit…

Drobot made a soft chuckle at last, then lifted his head and smiled.

"Thank you," Drobot whispered, his voice still a bit strained from his flash of panic earlier, "And, I apologize for making you see all that."

Drobot then shook his head and tapped his claws against the floor. "Nonetheless, we need to figure out how we can get out of this room. But how…"

Drobot peered passed the gaps in the bars as he tries to make some sense of where he was now. There were lasers everywhere, paired with dim computer screens that brought to light rows of computer panels and metallic floors and walls, and he was sure he saw a mirror or two that reflected faint light from the ceiling… That was it!

"Do any of you have something reflective?"

The mabu with the higher voice raised a paw.

"Yes, er…" Drobot gently nudged his tailfin towards the mabu.

"Blobbers," Blobbers replied as he pulled a flashlight from his pocket, "And I've got this!"

In one quick moment, Blobbers popped the glass out from his flashlight and tossed it over to Drobot, who caught it and looked back up at the Mabu Defense Force.

"Now, I'll need something to hold this out on. Do any of you…" Drobot winced and drew his head back as a fishing pole at least ten feet in length stuck out in front of him.

"I wouldn't be called Captain Rizzo if I didn't come prepared for anything!" The gruff-voiced mabu said as he rubbed a fist against his chest, "Ten-foot long fishing pole, the multi-task tool for all your lengthy needs!"

Drobot nodded, then drew a small hole in the flashlight glass with his claw and popped the hole out.

"While this is somewhat crude in quality," Drobot remarked as he hooked the flashlight glass onto the fishing pole's hook and grabbed the pole itself with both front paws, "It should get the job done."

Drobot winced as he pushed the pole through the gaps in the cage's bars, then edged the mirror closer and closer to a nearby laser. If his calculations were correct, if he inched it a bit further and held this mirror steady it should hit the right angle…

Finally, one of the lasers made contact with the mirror and created a chain reaction! The laser bounced off a mirror on the ceiling, then another mirror down below, onto a computer screen to the right… Soon enough, it had transformed into a complex laser puzzle that ended as it latched on the lock! And as the laser stayed steady on the lock, the familiar hiss of melting metal echoed through the room, followed by a clunk as the lock's few intact remains clattered against the floor!

Drobot smiled as he removed the mirror and allotted the lasers to return to their original position, then nudged the cage door enough for it to fling open.

"Brilliant, Skylander!" Rizzo praised as he clapped his paws, only to frown as Drobot shook his head.

"Now is no time for praise! We need to save Drill Sergeant!" Drobot corrected as he beckoned with his paw, "Follow me!"

So, all four of them fell to their bellies as they crawled under the lasers above, then slipped out and tried to push the door at the very end of the lasers open… But it was completely locked! Drobot winced as he searched for some kind of way to open it—lock and key, keypad for passwords, anything! So, he patted down the walls around…

"There's no time for this!" Rizzo shouted as he grabbed something from his pocket and pressed its button, "Looks like we'll just have to do things how we do on Shattered Island!"

Drobot jolted as a loud clunk sounded off behind him, then he turned around to see Nort, Rizzo and Blobbers all heave a gigantic battering ram off the ground.

"You might wanna step back, Skylander!"

Drobot nodded and ran aside, then cringed as they slammed the battering ram against the door and created an obnoxiously loud creaking noise in the process!

But, at the very least, it did knock the door down, so once Rizzo folded the battering ram up they all bolted down the halls.

_Do not worry, Drill Sergeant, _Drobot thought, as if his mind could somehow convey his words to wherever Drill Sergeant was kept now, _We are on our way!_

§

The pound of footsteps mingled with the ongoing storms and the ongoing radar beeps as everyone dashed back into the island's heart. That dot grew closer and closer… Surely, they weren't far from finding the one behind all of this nonsense!

"Up there!" Stealth Elf exclaimed as she pointed towards the skies.

While everybody came to a screeching halt, Chihiro looked up and squinted.

There, atop the highest peak of the portal building and barely discernible from the churning clouds, was that same shining, sparkling orb of purple magic! But, it had grown much larger till it was a sun's size, crackled out electricity and roared like thunder. Yeah, that had to be the monster they were looking for!

"Looks like we've found 'em!" Chihiro proclaimed as she stowed the radar away, "That's one thing taken care of!"—Chihiro held a fist to the storms—"NOW CHARGE!"

And charge is what they did! They all screamed as they stampeded straight at the portal building's door, more than ready to crash through if they needed to… Then promptly bounced back off of something unseen! As they all groaned and pulled themselves up, low growls resonated throughout the area. What had just stopped them, could it be? They looked up and unfortunately for them, it indeed was what they thought it was—tough-looking monsters stationed outside the door as bouncers!

"Let us in!" Chihiro exclaimed as she balled her hand in a fist, "This is our building, not yours!"

Chihiro slugged a punch at one monster's chest, but instead of hurting it, well…

"YEOWCH!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stumbled back and rubbed her sore, red hand, "These guys are rock solid!"

"But thankfully for you," Bash remarked as he and Terrafin stepped away from the crowds, "So are we! We're as tough as rocks, right Fin?"

"Save the puns for when we actually win, Bash," Terrafin replied as he cracked his knuckles and made a smirk towards Bash.

Terrafin and Bash both jumped forward, then Terrafin bodyslammed into one of the monsters and sent it reeling! This definitely got the attention of the other one, who growled and shot itself towards Terrafin while he stood up… Only to get shot into the side of the portal building as Bash tackled into it!

"Hugo isn't gonna like that…" Chihiro winced as she examined the monster-sized dent left in the building's side.

Bash tossed the first monster aside with a slap of his tail, then watched as the second monster joined it thanks to a bodyslam from Terrafin! But, those monsters didn't wanna give up, judging by the way they jumped to their feet, and Bash seemingly knew this.

The monsters charged forward and slammed into Terrafin… Or at least tried. But before they could land a hit, they bumped into each other and tottered around the portal building's front lawn instead!

"We'll finish off these guys!" Bash exclaimed as he glared down the monsters and pounded his tail against the ground.

"You just go ahead!" Terrafin said as he jumped out of the ground, "We'll meet you later!"

The others paused for a bit, seemingly hesitant, but nonetheless they bolted into the building's vacant door, locked it tight and barricaded it off with some hefty planks and barrels… Just in case. Even though it was so heavily blocked off, though, the sounds of Terrafin and Bash struggling to fight against them!

"Bash, behind you!" Terrafin shouted, his voice a bit muffled from the door's blockage, "Wait, hey, get back!"

Bash's rough, gravelly screams sounded off in full volume as he seemingly smacked into Terrafin, followed by a loud CRASH and THUNK and BANG!

Chihiro winced and reached out her hand, about ready to just tear everything down and run back out to help them, but before she could linger on it longer someone grabbed her hand and dragged her away as they all bolted up the stairs! Thankfully the stairs were completely vacant of monsters, so it was just them as they flew and ran up the spiraling staircases…

"If the rest of this place is as clean as this is, stopping this thing'll be a snap!" Chihiro proclaimed as she ran upstairs, only to look aside and wince as she caught sight of the barricaded front door once more, "Hopefully…"

Just then, Chihiro lost her balance and fell on her face as everyone around her stopped and froze! What had stopped everyone so suddenly?

Chihiro frowned and looked around in time with everyone else. All around them, hissing sounds echoed about at dangerously close proximity—had the monsters busted up some pipes? A peek above them all showed that bright, red eyes like flaming comets peered down from the ceiling, almost like…

"Bats? Since when did the portal building have bats?" Chihiro asked, then she took a peek above and cringed, "Wait a second…"—Chihiro froze as those eyes grew narrow and glowering—"I don't think those are bats!"

Those "bats" that hung from the ceiling let out a collective screech, then swooped down and revealed that they weren't bats, but monsters! They all swarmed down at such intense speeds, everybody else lost their footing from the shock and went tumbling down the stairs!

Their collective shouts echoed through the room as they rolled down the massive stone stairs, then took a particularly nasty leap off of one and got ready to crash into the ground…

Chihiro cried out in shock as the stone floors grew closer in closer, then she shot out her hand and crafted a magical net between the staircase! And she was just in time, too—the net caught them all right before they were supposed to hit the ground!

"Phew, close one! I almost thought I wouldn't make it," Chihiro sighed with relief as the net drew back like a slingshot, "Now, everyone, hold on to your hats! We're in for a wild ride!"

And just like that, the net shot forward and tossed everyone back on the staircase! They all groaned as they slammed face-first into the stone stairs, then looked up and scrambled to their feet as the bat monsters swarmed towards them!

Well, all of them but General Robot, who just turned around and narrowed his eye… Slots? Well, being a robot he didn't really have eyes, but…

"I'll take care'a these pests!" General Robot whirred as gigantic missiles loaded into his shoulders.

Slowly, his conveyor belt feet transformed into fully-functional rockets that flew him back down to where the bat monsters were flying up! His missiles slammed into a few and successfully blew them to bits… But before he could restock, the bats charged right for him!

"UH, ABORT, ABORT! MISSION ABORT, TIME TO RETREAT!" General Robot screamed over the sound of screeching bats as he haphazardly flew above the stairs… Then smacked his head right into the ceiling, lost balance and tumbled down with the bats still hot on his trail.

Everybody else looked down and winced as General Robot hit his head against each and every stair in rapid succession, then cringed as he slammed against the floor with a loud CRASH!

"I'm okay, sir!" General Robot cried from the base of the stairs, only to scream again as the bats flocked around him!

The sounds of screeching bats, screaming robots and firing missiles echoed throughout the stairway at such an intense volume it made the entire tower shake and rattle! But, the Skylanders and Master Eon were hardly bothered by the noise as they ran upstairs!

Chihiro frowned as she looked back at General Robot, almost about to join him, but before she could Stealth Elf grabbed her by the arm and pulled her upstairs.

"Come on, Chihiro!" Stealth Elf whispered as she dragged Chihiro up the stairs, "We're lucky General Robot bought us some time! We can't let it go to waste!"

Chihiro just bit her lip as she looked back down, but finally she freed herself from Stealth Elf's grasp and dashed upstairs… Then lost her footing on the final step and fell face-first into the floor. Chihiro grunted as she crawled across the floor and finally sat up.

"I'm alright, I swear…" Chihiro moaned as she rubbed her sore face.

While the remainder of their team began barricading the door and took a breather, Chihiro paused and looked down at the stairs just before they were completely blocked off. A kind of melancholy came over her as she thought of who they had left—herself, Spyro, Gill Grunt, Master Eon, Stealth Elf, Zook and Sonic Boom. Not a huge loss, but still… Fin, Bash and General Robot were all out there with those monsters…

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Chihiro asked as she clasped her hands together.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Stealth Elf replied as she brushed the dirt from her arms, "The more we worry, the most time it takes to stop this whole mess. We should—"

_DING!_

Chihiro froze and rapidly blinked as she looked around.

"Wait, was that an elevator?" Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief and slunk down, "Man, talk about good timing. I wasn't sure my legs could walk anymore…"

"But, that elevator never worked when we used it!" Master Eon proclaimed as he flew above Chihiro's head, "We had to abandon it because nothing we did could get it to budge!"

"You sure?" Chihiro winced as she looked back at the elevator that had just slammed down, "Because that elevator looks pretty functional to me!"

The elevator doors hissed open, followed by the familiar sounds of growling and scraping nails as bulky monsters emerged from the elevator, their eyes beady and their breath gravely. They seemed to hesitate for a few moments as they examined Master Eon, Chihiro and the Skylanders…

Which gave the latter team just enough time to attack the former!

Zook immediately went to play his music, his volumes so loud it make the stones that comprised the walls quiver, and Sonic Boom joined in too as she screeched along! This time, though, the monsters weren't frozen in place! Rather, then only growled and launched themselves towards Zook! Zook gasped and went to load his bazooka, but before he could start Sonic Boom made an even louder screech that blew the monsters away!

"What's going on?" Sonic Boom asked as she watched the monsters crash into the walls, "I thought they couldn't handle loud noises!"

"Guess these guys can take the boom!" Zook shouted as he loaded his bazooka and lifted it over his shoulder, "GOOD THING I CAN BRING IT!"

With a click of the trigger, several missiles launched out of Zook's bazooka and exploded into smaller ones that crashed into the ground! The moment they hit the ground, they exploded and splintered into thousands of thorny shrapnel bits that stuck into the monsters' bodies!

While they squealed and tried to pull the shrapnel out, Spyro crashed into the back of one and sent both it and the rest of the monsters tumbling down like dominoes! Spyro smiled as he watched them all crash and groan, then jumped aside as a large anchor smashed into the chest of a monster that stood right behind him… About two minutes ago.

As the monster's artifact heart shattered and took the rest of the body with it, Spyro grinned and gave a toes up to Gill Grunt!

"Thanks Gill!" Spyro shouted, "I owe you one!"

Gill Grunt waved, but as he waved he was completely obliviously to the monster that loomed over him and looked poised to rip his head off…

It was a good thing Spyro wasn't! Before the monster could attack, Spyro spat out a flame as big as the sun and engulfed the monster in a firey death before it could lift a finger higher!

"Guess I don't, now," Spyro chuckled before he ducked out the way of Stealth Elf as she tore through several smaller monster with her daggers. Once he was safely out of the danger zone, he poked his head up and moved his attention towards Chihiro and Master Eon.

The two of them fought just as hard as the Skylanders did, magic blasts and magical weapons ablaze as they knocked down the waves of monsters that closed the two of them tight within a monstrous circle.

"Master Eon, just how many of those replicas did you have anyways?!" Chihiro asked as she dodged a blow from one monster, then magicked up a boxing glove and punched it aside.

"Unfortunately, a lot!" Master Eon shouted back as he dodged the grasp of the monster swarm that was currently grappling for him.

And worse yet, those monsters they were able to knock down were quickly replaced by even more as the elevator continued to run! It was like the upper levels held a near-infinite, unseen supply!

"There's too many of them! We'll never make it at this rate!" Spyro shouted as he flew up to Master Eon and Chihiro and examined them, "Unless…"

Spyro blocked off a monster as it tried to flame Master Eon, then turned to Master Eon. With the two of them safe for the time being they whispered something inaudible to all but themselves, their conversation only inferred by the gestures and nods they made.

Chihiro dodged out of a gorilla monster's way, then turned back to Spyro and Master Eon and frowned.

"What are they talking about?…" Chihiro whispered. She tilted her head as she watched Spyro take to the air, then yelped as he flew over to her and grabbed her hand!

"Chi, we need to get out of here!" Spyro proclaimed as he dragged her out of the fray.

"But why?" Chihiro asked as she ducked underneath a fireball's flight path.

"There's been a change of plans! We're gonna have to take the main one ourselves, while everybody else keeps the rest busy!"

Chihiro made a sharp gasp, then looked away and clenched her teeth.

"But why me? I couldn't even stop the first one with my own power!" Chihiro winced as she tried to tug away from Spyro's grasp, "How can I do it now?"

"Cause this time." Spyro placed a paw over Chihiro's hand and gave her a gentle smile, "I'll be right here."

Chihiro pursed her lips, then finally made a reluctant smile of her own. Just being around him, with how confident he looked did ease her worries a bit… Maybe they could do this! Chihiro stood speechless, then squeezed Spyro's hand tighter while her own flared with bright blue magic. That blue glow became a halo around the two of them as they bolted towards the elevator as such fast speeds that the entire world seemed to slow!

The elevator door opened with another friendly ding and sent out another swarm of monsters, but thankfully Spyro and Chihiro escaped the monsters' attention as the two of them dove away from the crowds and rolled into the elevator!

As they stood up and shook their heads, the elevator door drew to a close and the elevator flew back upstairs…

/**LOG** **DATE ?.?.?, TIME ?.?.?**/

"Everyone!" Drobot exclaimed as he ran through the hallways with Rizzo, Nort and Blobbers close behind, "Check every door you can! Drill Sergeant has to be here somewhere!"

Drobot winced and clenched his teeth. "We just have to find out where…"

Drobot's eyes glazed over a nearby door, then with a grunt he flung it open… Only to frantically close it as some kind of horribly mutated monster leaped out from its crevices!

"He's definitely not in there…"

"He's not in here, either!" Nort proclaimed as he opened a door, completely oblivious to the mop that was poised to fall on his head, "Only a bunch of cleaning—"—Nort winced as the mop handle did, indeed, fall on his head—"Owch!"

"Not in this one!" Blobbers shouted as he heaved up an elaborate-looking gun, "But I did find this cool gun!"

"ENOUGH OF THAT, ALL OF YOU!" Rizzo exclaimed as he slammed a door open and rushed out, "I FOUND SOMETHING!"

Rizzo ushered everyone into the room, then slammed the door shut as they made their entry.

The inside was some kind of control room, complete with screens that gave one a peek into every conceivable room this strange laboratory held. But, most of them were of no interest to Drobot save for the one in the center! The center screen depicted some kind of workshop with messily-strewn tools and half-complete mechanical contraptions. Its lighting was a faint orangish-red color that added a sort of ominous, blood-chilling feeling to the sight in the middle section, which was none other than…

"Er, somebody, please bring me your aid!" Drill Sergeant whirred as he failed to struggle out of the operating table-esque workbench he had been strapped to, "How would I say this in simple terms?…"

Drill Sergeant whirred faster as a thick, red laser shot down from the ceiling and began burning through the workbench! Though his struggling was greater, it did little to free him from the thick belts that kept him strapped to the table.

"SIMPLE TERM FOUND! HELPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"

Drobot let out a gasp, then launched himself towards the massive control panel that all the screens were attached to. It had so many buttons and bells and whistles, but the keyboard that was attached to it was simple enough to operate. His front paws fixed on the keyboard, Drobot typed away at the keys with all the precision his frantic mind would give him.

All around, the area was dipped in a bright red glare while the wail of sirens echoed throughout the room!

"WARNING, WARNING, UNEXPECTED ERROR!" Blared a mechanical voice from far above, "AN UNEXPECTED INTRUSION HAS CAUSED A TOTAL SYSTEM SHUTDOWN IN OPERATING ROOM 101611. I REPEAT, ALL SYSTEMS IN OPERATING ROOM 101611 ARE SHUTTING DOWN!"

"Well, thank you for the help?" Drill Sergeant beeped before all the monitor's screens completely shut off.

However, those screens were on the back of everyone's minds as they piled out of the control room!

"That should give us enough time to find him," Drobot said as he turned back to the Mabu Defense Force, "I corrupted a good percentage of the important files for the central room's operation processes! It will take approximately five minutes, fifty-five seconds and three hundred fourteen milliseconds before—"

"**INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"**

"The systems come back online." Drobot winced and looked aside. "But unfortunately, it seems this room's systems are still perfectly operational."

As the sirens blared the loudest alarms they could, the hallway panels opened and robots piled in by the tens! And if that wasn't bad enough, these robots were all armed with guns and cannons and all other sorts of weaponry—they'd be a pain to get through normally, but… It was a good thing Drobot had his armor!

"I'll take care of these hunks of junk!" Drobot proclaimed as he stood tall… Then stopped and froze as nothing happened.

"Wait, why is nothing working?" Drobot ducked under a laser blast, then looked down at his noticeably armorless back and winced, "That's right, that quack took my armor! And without it, I'm completely helpless!"

Drobot clenched his jaw tight as he got back to his paws, now fully prepared to run from the monster that had him cornered…

But before he could, a gigantic fire blast blew the robot to bits! And from the smoke and wreckage came Rizzo, who was stocked to the brims with troll weaponry!

"MABU DEFENSE FORCE!" Rizzo called as he tossed weapons to Blobbers and Nort, "TO ARMS!"

Now armed and dangerous, Blobbers and Nort immediately raised the rocket launchers Rizzo had given them and fired a whole round of rockets straight through the endless lines of guard robots! The robots exploded in a row, while their metal bits shot in every direction and dug into the walls!

But, they were hardly done! Blobbers clicked the trigger a few times more and sent a trio of missiles that immediately cut through a series of lasers shot off by one of the enemy robots! The robot could only whirr in shock and try to run the missiles away... But the missiles were much faster than it was, and before it could even look back it had been blown to bits!

Nort, meanwhile, teetered around as he tried to balance the weight of his own rocket launcher, but finally managed to take full control as he sat it on his shoulder... And right in time, too, because several of the robots had trapped him in a circle!

"TAKE THIS, YOU GIANT SCRAP HEAP!" Nort screamed as he fired the gun and sent missiles tearing through the robots, then he ran through the open path and yelled all sorts of war cries as he fired off more and more missiles by the second!

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! The sound of explosions lined the room and made it rattle as Rizzo, Nort and Blobbers tore through the robots, but unfortunately their work was far from done! Even more robots piled in from the open panels of the walls around in an never-ending stream, and each one was just as strong as the last! Even with their weaponry, the three of them could barely hold those robots down!

If only Drobot still had his armor—surely with its calculative ability, he could have mapped out a plan to quell the flow of robot soldiers. But without it, he did not have nearly enough strength or analytical power to pull it off, so he only stayed hidden behind the fried corpse of a robot soldier. Drobot's eyes widened as the bright colors and explosions warmed the room around into an active, burning volcano of anticipation, then he stumbled back as Rizzo shoved an elaborate laser blaster in his front legs!

"What're you standing around for?" Rizzo asked as he turned around and looked at Drobot for moments, then whipped his head back around and went back to shooting, "We've got robots to blow up!"

Drobot made a hasty nod, then held the gun to the best of his ability—these guns were clearly made with bipedal beings in mind as opposed to quadrupedal ones, and the weight was great enough that holding it made his entire body try to tip over… But it was the best he had to work with, so he had to make do. Drobot lifted the gun over his shoulders and glared down the robots, then pulled the trigger and watched as his lasers ripped through the guard robots! Their hole-filled torsos ricocheted backwards as their bottom halves exploded…

And immediately clogged up the panels the robots were coming from! The sound of panicked whirrs and grinding metal rattled and shook the panels in an oddly conspicuous manner, but at the very least it had prevented the hall from producing more guards!

So, with the panels clogged and the remaining guards destroyed or seemingly missing, Rizzo, Blobbers, Nort and Drobot all raced down the hallways! Their footsteps reverberated around the metal halls while sweat poured down their bodies not from the explosion-generated heat that warmed the entire hall, but rather from the tension ahead.

After all, not only was Drill Sergeant in danger, but they were running through the halls of a mad scientist's laboratory that surely had all sorts of tricks and traps awaiting them! The red lighting poured through the halls and the sirens blared to try and instill fear in them all… Except now, something that sounded vaguely like hissing steam mingled with the sirens? What was that noise, and where was it coming from?

Drobot stopped in his tracks and looked around, then…

"Captain, look!" Blobbers exclaimed as he pointed to the halls ahead, "The walls, they're closing in!"

They all looked ahead and sure enough, Blobbers was right! The hallway were getting shut off as gigantic metal doors crept out from the wall panels at a snail's pace, one by one by one…

"We're gonna be trapped!" Nort exclaimed as he bit his nails.

Though the three of them seemed worried, Drobot only glared and gazed around the room. From just across where they stood now, a confused-seeming robot that somehow managed to avoid their slaughter swerved every which way as if it had completely lost its sense of direction…

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Drobot exclaimed as he made a running start, then jumped and latched onto the confused robot!

With a quick slash from his claws, Drobot formed a hole in its control panel, then yanked out the wires and tied them together in a haphazard knot, all while the robot made shrill, ear-bleeding beeps and whirrs. While his usual work would've been cleaner, right now they did not need aesthetics—they needed speed!

"Hop on, quick!" Drobot ordered as he turned back to Rizzo, Blobbers and Nort.

The three of them were quick to obey as they jumped onto the robot and held on tight… Then they all screamed as Drobot sent the robot zooming down the halls at light-like speeds with a simple nudge!

And not only had the robot obtained impressive momentum despite its shortcomings, but it completely stormed over any obstacles in its path! Saws that emerged from the ground, laser blasters from the walls, even the closed walls panels were simply smashed to bits from the sheer speed at which the robot crashed through the halls!

Unfortunately, that sheer speed also meant that Drobot, Rizzo, Blobbers and Nort had to hang on for their dear lives! Gums flapped in the wind and terrified screams shattered glass as all four of them dug their claws and fingers into whatever parts of the robot they could.

And all the while, that robot zipped through the halls… Then slowed down for a moment as it examined an oncoming intersection, only to speed up as it aimed right for the solid wall in the middle, at such a speed that it would turn anyone riding it into paste if they made crash contact!

"Skylander, turn this thing around!" Rizzo ordered with wide eyes as the wall came in faster and faster.

"I am trying!" Drobot shouted back as he pulled the wires around every which way, "It is going at such a high velocity that it is making it hard to steer!"

"Give me that, then!" Rizzo shouted as he pushed past Drobot and grabbed the wire knot, then snapped it like the reins of a primitive buggy, "GIDDY UP!"

Rizzo pulled the robot's reins left, and the robot made a shrill set of beeps as it turned that way!

Everybody breathed a sigh of relief as they dashed down the leftmost hallway, but that relief was short-lived—for they had drove themselves straight into another intersection!

"CAPTAIN RIZZO!" Nort and Blobbers shouted as the intersection's midway came in rapidly, "QUICK, TURN THIS THING AROUND!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!" Rizzo shouted back as he pulled the robot's reins right, then left again and moved them center as they headed down a three-way intersection... Despite the intense speed, his driving and control made the entire trip almost somewhat relaxing!

"You're a natural at this, captain!" Nort exclaimed as he poked his head above one of the robot's shoulders, "Have you done this before?"

"Well..." Rizzo chuckled and looked aside, "I really wanted to be a cowboy, but there were no ranches around here so I had to settle for being a florist—"

Rizzo gasped and leaned back as the robot's wired reins started sparking, and nearly fell off the robot itself if not for the fact that his legs had latched around its side tight!

The robot made another set of shrill beeps as it turned left, then right, then left again, straight up, straight down… It was moving so fast, none of them could even process the many halls they had passed!

And with no way to give command now that the reins were broken, all Drobot, Nort, Rizzo and Blobbers could do was scream and hang on tight!

Before they knew it, they had arrived at a dead end with a gigantic glass panel—wait, that wasn't a dead end!

On the other side of the glass reflected a room filled with all sorts of mechanical oddities, and at the center of all that was Drill Sergeant, still strapped to the operating table as a laser came just inches away from searing him in half! This was the room Drobot had found, this was what they were looking for!

"Drill Sergeant, we're coming!" Drobot shouted as he took back the reins and just barely resisted the sparking electricity, then turned to Blobbers, Nort and Rizzo, "Hold tight, everyone! We are going to have to jump!"

"WHAT?!" Rizzo, Blobbers and Nort all screamed in unison, but they received no answer to their question!

Right after they had asked, Drobot smashed the robot through the glass paneling! Glass shards went everywhere as Drobot crashed the robot right into the laser machine and completely decimated the laser machine in the process! With their ride gone, all four of them crashed right onto Drill Sergeant's table with a loud crunch! Despite their crash landing, they quickly bounced back as they jumped off the table and removed the straps that kept Drill Sergeant bound tight.

"Drill Sergeant, are you alright?" Drobot asked as he helped Drill Sergeant off of the robotic operating table.

"Affirmative!" Drill Sergeant beeped as he rolled down, "Not a single scratch!"

"Thank goodness!" Drobot breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and…

Wait, hold on a second! Wasn't that… Yes, indeed, none other than his own set of armor, hung from a rudimentary glass case!

Drobot smiled and dashed over to the cash, then smashed it open and put his armor back on. After a few clicks he started up his suit, flicked a switch and watched with bated breath as his suit ran through its boot-up operations…

"All system operational." Drobot exhaled in relief as he held a paw over his heart, "Thank goodness."

While Drobot ran a few more scans, just to make sure everything really _was _perfectly intact, Drill Sergeant happily chatted it up with Nort, Blobbers and Rizzo. Despite the ominous red lighting that still lingered over the area, everyone around seemed so happy and at peace…

Until the door beside them opened out of nowhere!

"Stupid faulty alarm system!" The troll scientist muttered as he stormed through the open door, his eyes trained on the floors, "I really need to repair it one of these…"—The scientist looked up and gulped as he caught sight of Drobot, Drill Sergeant and the Mabu Defense Force—"Days."

All five of them were quick to bear their weapons, but Drobot was fastest of them all! With no time wasted he flew in front of the scientist and shoved his face in the scientist's own, his mouth drawn into a ferocious scowl that bore all of his incredibly sharp teeth.

The scientist made a few awkward chuckles as he watched everybody turn their weapons on him. "This is probably the part where I start begging for mercy."

"Affirmative," Drobot replied as his helmet's eye slots glowed a dangerously bright red.

So, as everybody pressed their weapons dangerously close to the scientist, the scientist himself fell to his knees and sobbed.

"Please spare me, Skylander!" The scientist begged as he shook his clasped hands, "I only acted in the pursuits of science!"

"YOU NEARLY TURNED ME INTO SCRAP METAL, BEEP BOOP!" Drill Sergeant shrieked as his drill hands spun even further with rage, "I WOULD HARDLY CALL THAT A PURSUIT OF SCIENCE, BEEP BOOP BEEP!"

"Drill Sergeant is right—that is no excuse!" Drobot hissed, "Scientific research should not come at the expense of others' lives!"—Drobot then made a small smirk and stepped back just a bit—"However, there is one thing you can do to make up for it."

"And that is?" The scientist looked up and frowned.

"Hand over the Glowing Green Goo of Primordia, _immediately_."

The scientist just looked aside and whimpered. "But, I still had so many experiments I wanted to…"

Everybody charged their weapons and shoved them in the scientist's space once more!

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I'LL GIVE YOU THE GOO!"

The scientist shuddered as he ran over to the control panel and played with a couple of switches. With a few button presses more, the red light that colored the area surrounding slowly shaded itself into a much more calming shade of bluish-green.

"Releasing the goo… Releasing the goo…" Droned a mechanical voice over a loudspeaker.

The scientist grumbled something under his breath, then pressed a button and watched as a gigantic vacuum popped out of the ceiling!

"Now, good riddance!" The scientist exclaimed as the vacuum whirred to life!

Before anyone could say anything else, the vacuum vacuumed up Drobot, Drill Sergeant and the Mabu Defense Force, then sent them tumbling through a labyrinth of tubes before it finally spat them back on the surface!

They all fell face first and grunted, but as they sat up and gathered their bearings they could not help but smile—because they had been dropped right in front of the goo factory's gate!

"Alright, everyone!" Rizzo exclaimed as he jumped back to his feet, "Time to get to work!

"Understood, captain!" Nort and Blobbers shouted back as they saluted Rizzo.

Rizzo smirked and dusted himself off, then turned back to the factory that loomed over them all.

"Now, we need a mega bomb to blow up the defense wall guarding the way to the goo factories!" Rizzo pointed towards the impressive wall that blocked the factory off from its wartorn front yard, "If you could find one, we could blast the hellfire out of this thing!"

"Huh, actually I could've sworn I found one when I was looking for you, Captain!" Blobbers said before he ushered everyone along, "Come on, I'll show you!"

So, everybody else followed Blobbers a few hops up a platform, then a quick walk down before they halted in time with Blobbers.

"This should be the place," Blobbers said as he rubbed his chin and looked down at his feet while walking. As a shadow cast over them all, he looked up and gulped. "Yeah, this is definitely the place."

Blobbers had lead them to the mega bomb, alright—and true to its name, it was huge!

The bomb itself was a sleek black like any other bomb, though it had a large, white spiky star design outlined in crimson painted on its front, and yet it could hardly be compared given that it was about the size of a house! And surely, its firepower was just as impressive. After all, an analysis on Drobot's end showed that it was filled with about fifty times the gunpowder a regular bomb held!

The entire bomb was strong enough to blow them all to bits, and was only held back by some flimsy barbed wire fencing, yet it was too heavy to roll down and crush them all on its own… A simultaneously reassuring and frightening sight.

"Looks like we'll need a lot of horsepower to move that thing," Rizzo winced as he stepped out of the mega bomb's path.

"Horsepower is my specialty, sir," Drill Sergeant whirred as he revved up his engines, "If you'll allow me…"

Drill Sergeant tore through the wire fencing with a simple fire of his rocket hands, then once the hands returned and clicked back into their proper place Drill Sergeant drove behind the bomb.

"You may want to step away, sirs!"

Everybody else scattered well out of the mega bomb's path as Drill Sergeant slammed into it with a THUNK that echoed across the battlefield. The ground around sifted and shuddered as the bomb creaked a few inches downward, just enough for the fuse to be visible!

Drobot lifted his head, then flew up and blasted the fuse with an incredibly hot (About one hundred degrees, to be precise) laser that immediately lit the fuse! The fuse crackled with fire as the bomb lurched a few inches down a tall incline… Then rolled all the way down the incline's slope at incredible speeds!

"Wait, I demand you return here!" Drill Sergeant ordered as he charged after the bomb, his voice altered to be loud enough to alert everyone else.

Everybody else jumped from their spots and joined Drill Sergeant in the chase, but even with their combined forces they could not compete with the bomb! It was going far too fast for them to chase on foot! Wait, if going on foot was the issue…

Drobot leaped into the skies, then started his thrusters and became a streaking comet that hovered just inches away from the bomb. But, it was not an easy task, especially while the meteor-sized embers it sent from its fused rained down and tried to knock him out of the skies! Drobot swerved left as one tried to mow him down, then barrel-rolled out of another pair's path, and finally he caught up with the bomb in time to see the bomb leap off of a cliff!

From that jump it gained altitude so high it blocked out what little sun could be mustered from the smoke that covered the skies… Then finally, it slammed straight into the factory's front gate!

A gigantic explosion blocked the entire area off with thick, choking black smoke, then when the smoke lifted moments later the barrier and the rest of the area surrounding was gone! All that was left was a gigantic crater where it once stood and wrecked bits that rained down from the skies. Thankfully, however the goo factory had been saved by a conveniently-timed shield that soon vanished!

Drobot landed back down on the ledge as he analyzed the factory, only to get nearly pushed off by Rizzo as Rizzo shoved himself forward!

"MABU DEFENSE FORCE!" Rizzo shouted to the heavens as he pointed a finger towards the factory, "INITIATE OPERATION GET THAT GOO!"

"On it, captain!" Nort and Blobbers shouted in unison as they rushed forward and slid down the ridge with Rizzo close behind.

Once all three of them had landed at the bottom, they all ran forward and disappeared into the horizon. For about an hour and a half, nothing seemed to have happened—Drobot even checked the time to be sure. Just what was it they were doing?

Drobot frowned and went to start up a game of virtual chess with himself, but before he could begin a bright green glow shone across the way! Drobot filtered his visual sensors just so that the light was less blinding and directed himself towards the light's source—the goo factory! All of its many pipes were filled to the brims with bright green goo that surely caused this glow, then the goo drained down the pipes with a sound akin to that of draining a sink at maximum echo.

Drobot and Drill Sergeant flew and drove to the factory, but when they arrived the work had already been done! Rizzo, Nort and Blobbers had their paws full as they drained the goo into vats and had piled it onto some kind of crude rocket.

"Hey, Skylander, you finally made it!" Rizzo chirped as he turned around and waved at Drobot, but only for a moment before he became serious again.

"Now we have the goo, but the trolls are sure to retaliate." Rizzo pressed a flask of glowing green goo in Drobot's front paws, "We'd better get this back to your home base ASAP!"

With a whistle from Rizzo, another gigantic rocket ship cascaded down and opened the way for all to enter! But as Rizzo, Nort and Blobbers piled in, Drobot only held the goo flask tighter and smiled towards Drill Sergeant.

"If I had to make an assumption here…" Drobot remarked with a twitch of his wings, "I would say this was another job well done!"

"Affirmative, sir!" Drill Sergeant replied with a whir of his laser blaster.

§

As the elevator lurched up, Chihiro bit her lip and sat down on its cold, cold, hard floors. The dust around it had been upset by the constant monsters trip and made her want to sneeze, or maybe that was just her nerves as it made her whole body tingle and tremble with fear.

"What do you think's waiting for us, Gold?" Chihiro asked as she inched her hand forward and nudged Spyro's paw.

Spyro kept his eyes trained on the elevator doors, but the moment he felt Chihiro's touch he frowned and looked back down at her. There was a hint of worry in his golden eyes, but yet he still found it in him to smile back down at her—that was just like him, staying so cool and confident in a situation like this.

"Lots of those monsters, probably," Spyro replied as the elevator slowed down, "If we wanna get through there, we'll probably need an invisibility spell."

"On it!" Chihiro squeezed Spyro's paw tighter and nodded, then let go as their bodies vanished from view just in time for the elevator doors to open.

One quick glance outside showed that Spyro's guess was right—tons of monsters loitered around the halls and toyed with the various decorations that had been set up! One yelped in surpirse as it knocked over a flower vase and shattered it, others made conversation grunts only to fall through monster-sized holes in the walls, and some just paced back and forth like guards… Just the sight made Chihiro's skin crawl!

But, that was exactly why they had to get going—they couldn't risk getting sighted once their spell let up! So, Chihiro and Spyro panted as quietly as they could as they dashed and flew down the halls, their bodies aching but not ready to give up quite yet. After all, everybody else was fighting so hard so they could make it here—they couldn't give in now!

However, Spyro seemed far less concerned about this than Chihiro was. Despite all the monsters that prowled around, his body never left the center of the halls, unlike Chihiro's which turned around and tugged him from sight to sight, monster to monster, door to door. And for that matter, his paw was still warm and strong and completely unlike how cold and clammy her hand had gotten.

After all, they were surrounded by all these monsters that would rip them to shreds if one thing went wrong! Thankfully the invisibility spell shielded them from view, but how long would it last? Would it stay strong enough for them to escape?

Everything became a blur in Chihiro's mind as she raced down the open hallways, but thankfully with every hall they passed the monsters became more and more sparse. Soon enough, they had finally arrived in one that only had about three—enough that they could feasibly take on if a fight happened! With their safety practically guaranteed for the time being, they both stopped and caught their breath.

Chihiro took another look at Spyro's face, but she saw nothing under the cover of their invisibility spell—she didn't know why, given that she knew she cast a spell. Maybe she just wanted to see that look in his eyes, the only that promised her that everything would be alright despite how awful things were right now… Wait, now she could!

But, it wasn't a look of confidence. It seemed more like… Concern, going off the way his brows were clenched tight as his eyes turned to her and those brows grew tighter.

Wait, if she could see him… Oh no, surely the spell was starting to wear off! She could already see the few monsters around grunt in confusion and turn to them! Before she even knew it she went to scream…

Then Spyro pulled her aside into the monsterless, cold, and safe confines of one of the corner storage room. Chihiro finally let out a scream of shock, but the moment her eyes locked on Spyro's her lips pursed and she drew him into a loose hug, all while she heaved heavy breaths.

"Chihiro," Spyro whispered as he lifted his head, "Are you alright?"

Chihiro, however, just hugged him tighter then let go and made a weak smile.

"I am now," Chihiro whispered back.

"You ready?"

As Spyro squeezed her hand tight, Chihiro made a tiny shrug and looked aside.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Spyro bit his lip and nodded, then Chihiro squeezed his paw tighter and yanked them both out of the storage room… Only for her to scream and jump back inside! Spyro winced as he hit the walls, then watched as Chihiro slammed the door shut in panic. While she pressed her back against the door in some meager attempt to keep it shut, he only shook his head and jumped back to his paws.

"Chihiro, what was that for?!" Spyro asked.

Chihiro winced, then shushed him and opened the door just wide enough for them to get a peek outside without being spotted. She ushered Spyro close to her side, then pointed to the cracked door…

To show that outside, a guard monster was sweeping the halls! It seemed gargantuan and the many spikes that ripped out from its body only served to amplify its intimidating aura. Perfect for a guard monster, to be honest. The monster growled and sniffled the air for a few moments, then made a hulking sigh as it paced back the other way…

With a nod, Spyro and Chihiro locked hand and paw once more, then caught one last glimpse of each other before they both turned invisible again and crept out of the storage room. Their eyes glazed over the monster that still had its back turned to them, right before Spyro charged forward and knocked it straight down!

The monster growled in alarm as it pulled itself back up and looked around, then its growls of alarm turned to cries of pain as Chihiro slammed a door right in its face!

The monster fell unconscious on the way back down to the floor, just in time for Spyro and Chihiro to become visible once again. Spyro immediately summoned a thick rope made of magic, then wrapped it around the monster and tied it up tight.

"Okay, that's taken care of," Spyro proclaimed as he wiped his paws and looked towards the door down the way.

This door, it glowed a bright lavender color and radiated a magic energy so intense it made Chihiro shudder. That had to be…

"That should be the door to the outer balcony, and our target," Spyro said as if he read Chihiro's mind in that instance, "We'd bet get there before…"

Right as Spyro was talking, the monster's eyes shot open! With a growl, then lurched up and immediately split the ropes Spyro had tied it with in one mighty flex!

"It breaks out!"

The monster lurched towards Chihiro and got ready to swing, but before it could Spyro tackled into its hand! While the monster held its hand in pain, Spyro hissed through clenched teeth and rebounded from the attack, then flew towards the monster and shot a fireball straight at its chest!

"I'll distract it, you go ahead!" Spyro shouted as he turned back to Chihiro.

Chihiro, however, just stuck frozen and winced. That monster did look awfully strong, and even with Spyro's impressive abilities he might not be able to hold it on his lonesome…

But then, the monster slammed its fist into the floor and sent a shockwave hurtling towards Chihiro! The force was so intense it knocked her on her back, only able to watch in frozen horror as the monster loomed over her, ready to strike…

FWOOSH!

Before it could get the chance to attack her, another fireball slammed straight into the monster's head! As the monster turned back to face Spyro, Chihiro dodged under its legs and made a fast break for the open balcony door!

"Hey, ugly! Over here!" Spyro shouted, though his jeers and insults towards the monster grew faint and barely comprehensive by the time Chihiro had bolted through the open door.

Before Chihiro had known it, she was faced with harsh wind and crackling lightning while she stood on the highest balcony the portal building had to offer, all while the storms above raged worse than before.

Really, it was less of a balcony and more like a long, gated patio that circled around the entire tower and had enough space to host at least twenty people, maybe more. And yet… She was the only one there, it seemed, for no monsters or other lifeforms were anywhere to be found!

"Hello? Any monsters here?" Chihiro asked as she perused the balcony to find nobody other than herself still, "Olly olly oxen free?"

"GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Chihiro jumped back from the balcony's railing as a large shadow cast over the balcony itself, one that drew closer and closer by the moment… And before she knew it, the original Guardifound had crashed down before her!

It had grown maybe three or four times its size since she last saw it, with more decorated markings on its shiny purple body to match. And yet, despite all this, that crack on its body was still firm as ever while the bright light of magic leaked from its opening in a waterfall of shimmering lights…

"If I hit that crack, it'll probably be done for!" Chihiro reasoned as her hand flared with magic despite the fact that her body shook with an intense fear still, "Just gotta stay focused!"

Chihiro winced, then thrust her hand forward and shot off a series of magic blasts as she zipped down the balcony, but no matter how far she ran she kept her eyes fixed on that monster. Not just out of necessity for battle, but it was like no matter what, she couldn't bring herself to look away from the monster she had created, a physical representation of all her failures.

With a shake of her head, Chihiro lifted up her hand and shuddered. No, she couldn't let herself get distracted right now—she had to put an end to all this! Out from her palm came a large magic sphere that crashed right into the monster's chest! Chihiro bolted down the balcony as the Guardifound shook off her attack, while more magic spheres shot from her palms like bullets…

And yet, she wasn't doing a thing! No matter how many spheres she shot off, they were little more than annoying flies the Guardifound just shook off. They all smashed against its chest and disappeared into piles of quickly-disappearing cyan sparkles, but the Guardifound seemed no more worse for wear than before. Finally, it growled as it took heavy, labored forward steps that shook the platform beneath them, then it raised one of its meaty claws and shot a magic sphere ten times the size and speed of Chihiro's own right at her!

Chihiro cast up a shield before the sphere could make contact and winced as the sphere bored into her shield. Her hands were pressed tight against the shield's surface, and her entire body flowed with magic as she tried to keep it strong enough to knock the sphere… But even her best wasn't enough! The sphere shattered her shield and slammed into her body!

Her whole body burned with the heat of a thousand suns as she flew right off the balcony from the impact! She was so hot and in so much pain, she could barely bring herself to open her eyes… Until the cool, rushing wind chilled her enough to finally look down and see that—oh no, oh god, the ground was coming in super fast!

So, Chihiro teleported away in a flash and dropped onto a rooftop of a building well across the portal building. She sat against the cold wood of the rooftop and placed a hand over her furiously-beating heart as she caught her breath, but even that didn't last long! The sound of pounding and gigantic shadow over her showed that the Guardifound was coming back! So, she dashed across the rooftop, then jumped to another building's rooftop and ran further.

And while she ran, the Guardifound had leaped on the rooftop she first stood on and growled. It turned around to face her while she turned back around to face it, almost like those showdowns in cowboy movies—if it weren't for how tense she was now, she's say it felt kind of cool.

Chihiro was the first to draw her weapon as she lifted her hands to the skies, then summoned a magical tennis racket and about ten of those shuttlecock minions with the weird googly-eyes. They were still no bigger than the average turtle, but for the situation at hand they'd have to do! So, she grabbed the tennis racket, then served the minions at the Guardifound one by one!

The minions all screeched as they soared in the air, their goofy, googly eyes fixed on the Guardifound… Then they made shrill squeals of pain as the Guardifound slapped them all onto the ground before they could even make contact!

Well, all but one who managed to crashed straight into the cracked part of the Guardifound's chest and made it cry out in pain! The Guardifound growled as it saw the shuttlecock minion fall to the ground, then groaned as it itself fell to its knees and held a hand over its crack… Which was now glowing bright!

Chihiro wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but she was pretty sure it was a sign to attack! So, she magicked up a sphere and narrowed her eyes, her cheeks flushed blue from her sphere's light.

"Alright, buddy!" Chihiro shouted over the roaring thunder and raging lightning from above, "You've been a thorn in our side for too long now!"

Chihiro charged the sphere with an extra blast of magic and thrust it forward.

"IT'S TIME YOU GOT PLUCKED!"

Chihiro punched the sphere with a strained yell and in a moment's time it sped straight towards the Guardifound! As it gathered momentum the magic around it turned into a magical flame, transforming it from a magic sphere to a magic comet that screeched as it got ready to blow the Guardifound to bits! Chihiro should've felt confident, but her stomach churned with anxiety so bad that she could only cover her mouth with her hands as her eyes completely fixed on the monster. Would it work?

SMACK!

Unfortunately not! Out of nowhere, a purple and blue-striped blast smashed through her measly comet and nearly grazed her over! She had ducked and covered right in the nick of time, then when she looked over her shoulder she saw a sad-looking version of her one shuttlecock monster, who made a pathetic cough as it disappeared in a puff of magic smoke!

Chihiro felt her whole body try to lock itself up, but before she could freeze entirely the sound of screeching pricked her eyes. She looked up, then gasped and ducked again as the Guardifound sent magic fireballs shooting right above her! The heat pressed against her body and made her shake with sweat, but she had to get up and fight! Actually, no, a look up showed that the magical fire storm was still going strong! Chihiro winced as she kept herself pressed down low—with all these fire blasts, there was no way she could get a good shot in! And worse yet, the Guardifound didn't seem like it was getting tired anytime soon! Is this the end?…

_CRASH!_

The fire storm halted for a moment as both Chihiro and the Guardifound directed their attention towards the portal building. From above, some kind of brightly-colored smoke poured out from the open door on the portal building's balcony—wait, wasn't Spyro in there dealing with that guard monster?

As the smoke cleared, Chihiro magicked up a pair of binoculars and took a quick peek.

There on the balcony, Spyro had crashed into the railing and practically hacked out a lung as he slid down its metal surface. He clenched his teeth as he peered back up at the guard monster, which towered over him with a flaming hot fireball at the ready!

"SPYRO!" Chihiro called as she dropped her binoculars without even realizing it. She shuddered, then leaped and bounded across the rooftops with a new purpose—she had to get over there and help out Spyro!

Chihiro started heaving rapid, shallow pants as she focused her magic and got ready to teleport. The magic raced through her blood and made her whole body shudder and tingle with power, the same kind of sensation she always felt before teleporting… But before she could take off, something hard and warm slammed right into her back and tossed her across the rooftops! A sharp pain stung Chihiro's head as she slammed headfirst into the hard rooftops, then she turned around and fixed her dizzy eyes on the path behind her.

There, the Guardifound fell to all fours and dashed towards her like a rabid ape, its mouth wide as it charged a magic blast! Oh great, in her surge of worry she had completely forgotten about it!

Chihiro went to ready an attack, but the surprise shock from the attack she took combined with the searing pain completely stopped her—all she could do was summon a few sparkles before she winced and lurched over. Though her vision was growing blurrier and less focused, she could still fix herself on the Guardifound as it raged closer than ever, now fully ready to attack…

But before it could, something purple and gold swooped down in front of her and sent it flying back with a blast of light as bright as the sun itself!

"Sorry for the holdup, Chi! That guard monster was stubborn, but it's toast now," Spyro shouted as he took a scorning look at the Guardifound, "Ready to end this?"

Chihiro made a soft gasp, then her shaky face grew into a glowing smile as she grabbed Spyro's paw and squeezed it tight. Just being around Spyro made her vision clear itself a little, and the light left behind from his attack made him seem more… Radiant, than usual, like a legendary hero or a knight in shining armor!

"Yeah!" Chihiro proclaimed with a nod. The energy flowed back into her body as she forced herself to stand, and her vision cleared enough for her to face the Guardifound once more.

The Guardifound roared as it shot off more magical fireballs, but this time Chihiro was prepared! She immediately tossed up a long-distance shield, then held out her hands focused enough that the blasts couldn't shatter it to bits—all they could do was drill against it! Chihiro smirked for a moment despite her weakened state as the fireballs pounded and sent pulsating waves across the shield, yet still couldn't break it.

_That's it, _Chihiro thought as she reinforced the shield, _Shoot all the fireballs you want, it doesn't matter! Your little temper tantrum's no match for my—_

The fireballs hissed like metal hissed when something hot seared through it, then they burned holes through the shield and shattered it!

_SHIELD!_

Chihiro winced, screwed her eyes shut and ducked down as the fireballs flew over her and burnt out! Or at least, she thought they burnt out based on the crackling sounds she heard behind her. Chihiro popped her eyes open and turned around to check… Only to see another magic fireball headed right towards her! Chihiro jumped up and teleported out right in time to watch it pass her by… Then turn around and barrel right towards her again!

Chihiro winced and teleported left, right, left, but it was no use! No matter where she ran, it immediately turned around and made chase once more! She could only watch as it grew closer and closer…

Then a bright red fireball shot it across and engulfed it completely!

Spyro nodded at Chihiro and flew over the Guardifound's range, then shot off a volley of his own red-hot fireballs with his eyes trained on the Guardifound's crack! The Guardifound looked up, raised its hand and created a magical shield as the fireballs rained down!

The fireballs dove into the shield's magic and bounced back towards Spyro, who was quick to block them with a shield of his own. But, something was wrong still… He was straining and wincing, as if keeping up that shield was practically sapping his life force. Finally, he dropped the shield and crashed back down onto the rooftops!

"Spyro, are you alright?" Chihiro asked as she ran to Spyro's side and helped him back up.

"Don't worry, Chi," Spyro winced as he forced a smile and tried to pull himself back to full height, "I, I'm fine."

But, that was hardly reassuring given that immediately afterwards Spyro limped downwards and shuddered! So, Chihiro immediately threw herself in front of him.

"No you aren't, Spyro!" Chihiro knelt down to Spyro's height and wrapped him in her arms, "You're hurt, you need to get back to safety!"

"We won't be safe until these things are gone for good!" Spyro pushed against Chihiro's grasp, though he was too weak to fully break out of it, "Besides, I promised Master Eon…"—Spyro paused and shook his head—"No, I promised you I'd help you take this thing down!"

Chihiro wanted to argue more, but an instant shock of pain caused her to limp down and wince. Both of them were in a pretty bad shape, but that Guardifound surely was no worse for wear than before! Hopefully it wouldn't notice this…

Darkness shaded over the two of them as a familiar, imposing figure appeared in a flash of light and fell before them with a thump. Oh no, looks like she had jinxed it!

The Guardifound raised a claw and shot a brightly-colored laser right at Chihiro before she had even had time to react! Chihiro just gasped, completely frozen to the spot and only able to anticipate the pain that would come… But it never did!

Right at the last moment, Spyro scrambled to his feet and jumped right in front of her! The collision caused a blast so intense it sent them both soaring through the air before they both slammed against the side of the portal building and landed on another, slightly smaller balcony attached to it, but at least they were alright… Maybe.

Chihiro herself screamed in pain while her head throbbed, but she quickly shook her head as she heard a series of intense hacks from her side. She turned around… Oh god, this couldn't have happened!

But no, it did—Spyro laid across from her with a nasty pinkish-red burn on his side while he coughed so hard it rattled his entire body. He was in so much pain he couldn't even open his eyes, this had to be a bad dream, please!

"Spyro!" Chihiro called as she scrambled over to his side and cradled him in her arms. For a moment, the entire world had vanished right around her—the Guardifound, the buildings they stood on, the monsters raging fights outside… All she saw was Spyro, so weak and pained.

Spyro, however, just coughed and forced a weak smile nonetheless as he just barely opened his eyes. He lifted his mouth as if he was going to speak, but before he get out a single word he curled up and shuddered.

"Spyro, why did you do that?" Chihiro croaked, her face stung with pain and terror alike, "You could've died!"

"Well, I had to protect you of course!" Spyro blurted out, his voice strained and shrill with pain, "I can take a hit, but if that thing got you, you would've been done for!"—Spyro nudged his head closer to Chihiro's heart—"And I'm not gonna lose you that easily…"

Spyro rolled out of Chihiro's arms, then forced himself to stand and look back at her with that same, weak smile.

"You're my friend, after all!"

Chihiro winced as a flood of so many emotions she couldn't comprehend washed over her. Spyro had just taken what would've possibly been a killing blow for her, he was already so weak himself—it was a miracle he even survived!

And, it was all because… All because… He considered her a friend...

Chihiro's eyes went wide as she reached towards Spyro, then gasped as he grunted and collapsed into a shuddering pile once more. She held him just tight enough that it wouldn't hurt him further and tried her best to keep from crying… This had to be a bad dream, please let it be a bad dream!

All the way across from her, the Guardifound let out a ghastly cackle and teleported! This time it put itself en route to her and Spyro as it teleported closer and trudged over towards them, its hand raised and charged with sparkling magic

Chihiro could only view it in horror, completely helpless and terrified as it got ready to finish Spyro off… And surely it wouldn't stop at just Spyro, either!

Out of nowhere Chihiro's mind flashed back to the rest of the team as they fought, from Terrafin and Bash who were probably still preoccupied with the bouncers, General Robot as he fought off those bats, the other Skylanders and Master Eon who had their hands full with the endless swarms of guard monsters… Even the rest of the island's inhabitants as they waited with anticipation from the safety of the mess hall. They'd all fall to the Guardifound's power while she'd be helpless to stop it, unable to protect them and only able to watch as they went down one by one...

Just like that time.

_That's right, _Chihiro realized as a pang of fear dug into her heart, _This is just like before!__ When Fin and Stealth fought that Windbag!_

All of a sudden, those memories flooded back into her head and clenched her tight, almost like she was reliving that time. The one where she was frozen stiff and helpless, unable to do anything other than watch as that monster tore through her friends and she could do nothing to help them! Now it was going to happen again, and once again she'd be powerless to stop the friend she loved from getting hurt or even killed!

Wait a second, but this time… She wasn't! She had plenty of magic spells down her belt, plenty of powers to fight it with! She couldn't just sit and watch this time, no! She was a portal master, after all! And more importantly, she was their friend, too! She could hardly call herself either of those things if she just gave in now to her own despair and let them all die!

Before she even realized it, Chihiro let go of Spyro, pushed herself up with her hand and dashed in front of the Guardifound, her eyes flared with fury and hot tears!

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Without even thinking, Chihiro pressed her open palms together while every drop of magic in her body poured into her hands! Her head stung with some kind of strange, tingling feeling not quite like dizziness, for her mind was perfectly clear—all she cared about now was destroying that Guardifound! Before she even knew it, she shot a gigantic magic beam at the Guardifound and tossed it all the way down the rows of rooftops! This beam was so great, so intense that its light practically blanketed the entire area, and when it unveiled the surroundings Chihiro had to take a moment and collect herself.

Not just from the epic power, but also because for a moment, it was like she wasn't real… Her whole body was fuzzy and strange, like it wasn't even her own, and her mind was a black void that was completely blank and unfocused. Had such a powerful attack really come from her own body? She wasn't entirely sure, but hopefully it had done the trick.

Chihiro fell to her knees and panted as her senses came back to her, then she looked up… And grinned.

Across from her, the Guardifound had fallen to its knees and wheezed, all while the crack in its chest was a bright morning star that shone with magical energy!

"Now's my chance!" Chihiro shouted as she jumped back to her feet, "One more hit and it's gonna go down!"

The Guardifound looked up and raised its hand to shoot off one last attack… But before it could even fire, Chihiro summoned a magical orb that crackled with equally-magical lightning and smacked it right towards the Guardifound!

The magic orb screeched through the air at lightning fast speeds and finally struck the Guardifound's crack! The blow was so mighty it made the Guardifound completely collapse, all while the crack spread across its entire body. Then finally, not seconds later it shattered completely and exploded in a big blast of shining light!

Chihiro threw a shield in front of her and Spyro just to be safe, then as the light receded she lifted her shield and looked around with a beam.

All around her, the clouds had parted and warm sunshine from the setting sunset bathed the area surrounding in a gentle orangish-yellow tint, while puffy pink clouds flitted through the skies.

"Huh, what…" Spyro groaned as he pulled his head up and looked around, then looked down with wide eyes, "Chihiro, look!"

Chihiro perked her head up and looked down, then her smile widened into a cheek to cheek grin!

Though the area below was still covered in rubbish and damage from the prior battles, the monsters were now gone! All that could be seen was the faint glisten of their artifact hearts! Though the damage had been done, just the sight this simple light was still comforting nonetheless, for it told her the one thing she had so desperately wanted to hear.

"_You can finally rest now, the battle has been won."_

"Finally!" Chihiro turned back, then hoisted Spyro onto her back and teleported them both back to the balcony.

"Come on, let's go tell the others!"

And so, they rushed back into the portal building while a gentle wave of relief washed over them both…

§_About an hour later..._§

"I'm really sorry for all this, Master Eon," Chihiro said as she picked up a red artifact shaped vaguely like a dog's head from the charred ground.

"Young Chihiro, you've apologized fourteen times now," Master Eon replied as he levitated a few more artifacts and dropped them in a pile, "And I've told you, there's no need! You've managed to take care of things, and that's what matters."

"But, still!" Chihiro frowned as she dropped the artifact into the sack, "I messed up those artifacts, got you guys banged up, made a huge mess… And I'm pretty sure I scared Hugo into getting another bald spot!"

"Bald spot?" Hugo exclaimed as he skittered back and forth, the artifacts once held tight in his hands now dropped to the floor, "Where?!"

"Oh wait…" Chihiro made a soft, hapless giggle, "I think that was just the lighting."

Hugo sighed in relief, then noticed the artifacts at his feet and gathered them back up as everybody laughed.

That is, until the sound of an incoming rocket drowned out everybody's voices and caused those around to look up! There high in the fading skies were two rockets that slowly, slowly drifted down onto the ground! Could it be?… The rockets landed, then their doors opened to emit light smoke all around the area…

"Guess who's back?" Shouted a familiar high-pitched voice as something hopped out the rockets, pistols bared and tongue lolled, "IT'S THE KING OF EAGLEWORLD!"

The smoke cleared as the voice's owner giggled.

"Just kidding!" Chirped Trigger Happy as the smoke finally vanished, "It's us!"

While everybody else poured out from the rockets, Trigger Happy frowned and examined the wreckage surrounding.

"… Did you guys have a party while we were gone?"

"It's a funny story," Chihiro chuckled as she ruffled her raven hair.

"And it can wait for later!" Hugo interrupted as he pushed himself towards Trigger Happy, "Do you have the gear? And the goo?"

"You bet we do!" Cried a mabu in tattered military clothes as he hobbled towards the rocket's side and patted it. In moments, the rocket folded in until it had vanished completely and dropped the Golden Gear back onto the ground!

Drobot, meanwhile, said no words as he, Drill Sergeant and several mabu in military clothes left the second rocket. He only unveiled a flask of green goo that faintly glowed against its container!

"Thank goodness!" Hugo proclaimed as he clapped his hands, "Alright everybody, break time!"

Murmurs and relieved chatter was heard as everybody dropped off the stray artifacts and crowded around the Core! Their exhaustion from the clean-up earlier had completely vanished as all eyes fixed on the Core of Light in sheer anticipation of what was to come.

Hugo dove his hand into his lapel, pulled out the same worn book he had used so many times before, then strode towards the Core of Light.

In response, Boomer and Drill Sergeant heaved up the Golden Gear and hobbled towards the Core of Light, then dropped it on the nearby ground with sighs of relief.

With the Gear placed, Drobot flew over and poured the green goo into a thin slot within the Core of Light's platform. As it glowed bright, Drobot whirred over to Hugo and gave him a toes up.

So, Hugo added the icing on the magical cake! With a chant of an ancient spiel, the Golden Gear flew off the ground and straight into the Core! All was silent for moments… Then a great quake was heard!

Everybody around gasped and mumbled as they tried to locate the source, then their eyes trailed back to the Core and the murmurs ceased.

Sure enough, that rumble had come from the Core of Light! Its platform had slowly grown a foot or two, and gigantic golden gears poked out and contently turned to the tune of a soft grind.

Chihiro smiled as she and the others basked in the Core's beauty, only to make a soft gasp as something nudged against her foot. She bent down… And sure enough, there at her feet was an artifact, shiny and bright against the sun!

"That should be the last one, Master Eon!" Chihiro proclaimed as she dropped the artifact in her sack and handed it off to Master Eon.

"Thank you, young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he levitated the sack from her hands and floated off, "I'll put these back where they belong."

Chihiro smiled as she watched Master Eon float off, but her smile quickly faded into shaky frowns and lowered eyes.

"And… Master Eon?" Chihiro looked up at Master Eon and tugged on her vest.

"Yes, young Chihiro?"

"… I, er, well…" Chihiro gulped and teased her hair, then finally fell to her knees, "I completely understand if you're going to exile me from the island or something for all this! I know I should've been more careful and—"

"Exile?" Master Eon turned back to Chihiro, "Young Chihiro, I never said anything about exiling you!"

However, this didn't seem to ease Chihiro any. She just turned away from Master Eon and gulped, that same frown still on her face.

"But, what about the 'landers and that General Robot dude? They got super banged up, after all!" Chihiro stepped forward and gestured around the scenery, "And all the places that got messed up?"

"Thankfully, Whirlwind's healing rainbows were more than enough to remedy their injuries—they'll be completely fine after a night of bed rest. And as for the buildings, they only need some minor cleanup. You see, we've had our fair share of mishaps here at this point to prepare for occasions."

Master Eon flitted over to Chihiro and bobbed his head. "It's why our buildings are made of cyclops stone, you know."

Master Eon's light brightened with a firm light.

"That being said, you'll have to help me recreate the artifacts that were destroyed and repair any damages to the island itself, and given the circumstances you will have to retake the exam as well…"

Chihiro still seemed a bit discontent as she looked down and bit her lip, then finally she bowed to Master Eon and nodded.

"I understand, Master Eon. After all, I was still super unprepared for the whole thing, and I caused so much damage in the process." Chihiro made one last gulp, then looked back at Master Eon with a sort of fire in her eyes, "So… This time, I'm gonna do way better! I'll study harder and be more careful and make sure I pass this!"—Chihiro looked aside and made a faint giggle—"And also, I'll try not to accidentally awaken any monsters in the process."

Master Eon made a soft chuckle as he heard Chihiro's resolve.

"Very well then, the retest will be in three days' time. For now, we should take these back."

"Okay, Master Eon!"

Chihiro waved to Master Eon as he and Hugo walked off (or floated off, in Eon's case) with the sack of artifacts in tow, then gazed over the Core of Light with a kind of hope.

"This time… I'll make sure I give my best effort!" Chihiro whispered as she watched the Core of Light shine against the brilliant sun, "And y'know… Actually study instead of worrying about other stuff!"

But as Chihiro's eyes turned to the Skylanders, her smile slowly faded into something not quite a frown, but not quite a smile either. After all that had happened today, she finally started to realize just why she cared so much about the gap in ability between her and Kaos… As memories of the blow Spyro took flashed into her mind, Chihiro balled her hand into a fist and gritted her teeth.

"That way, I'll definitely be strong enough to protect them."

* * *

**First off, an Easter egg - 101611 is a nod to October 16th, 2011, which is the day Spyro's Adventure came out in the USA and Canada!**

**Second of all, my announcement. I've thought about it for a bit, and I've decided to put CHS on another break for the rest of May up until... I'd say about the end of August at the latest? Put simply, the chapters after this one are going to require a lot more work, and I've been dealing with a lot of on and off burnout that's made it a lot harder for me to write. Plus****, sometime this summer I'm going to start the last class I need to finish my degree, and because of that I want to be able to focus on school more as well!**

**So, I think it would be better for me to take a quick break to work on the remaining eleven chapters and focus on some others things! See you all soon, hopefully!**


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